


Hideaway

by templorandom



Category: Vikings (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Attempted Murder, Aural Kink, Butt Slapping, Dirty Talk, Doggy Style, Dom/sub, Drug Use, F/M, Face-Sitting, Fluff and Angst, Gunshot Wounds, Hair-pulling, Oral Sex, Polyamory, Rough Sex, Threesome - F/M/M, Vaginal Fingering, Vaginal Sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-22
Updated: 2018-08-08
Packaged: 2018-11-17 11:54:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 25
Words: 46,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11274900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/templorandom/pseuds/templorandom
Summary: A young woman gets caught in the middle of the Ragnarssons fumbling quest for revenge. She clashes with Ivar in particular, but they soon all learn to rely on one another.





	1. I

**Author's Note:**

> I had the idea for this story when I saw this clip: https://www.instagram.com/p/BP7iAkUj_4Z/
> 
> A story started forming in my head, but I never got in down in writing. But I randomly started thinking about it again, and decided to start developing it. So here it is. I find writing about the Ragnarssons in a modern setting is nice, and it gives me a lot more to work with. 
> 
> With Ivar's disability in particular, I can include that in the story, but incorporate other elements into it. Other stories have him using crutches to get around, which makes sense, but I had heard of different types of osteogenesis imperfecta (which is what most assume Ivar had). So, many with the condition can walk and deal with it differently. I still wanted to include that in the story, because it is a part of his identity, but since he would be using guns and weapons a lot, I didn't want crutches to always be in the way of that. But I still thought it was important to have him have a disability, because I don't think there are enough characters out there like that.

Talia reached into her bag for the keys to the brownstone, bobbing her head to the distorted beat flowing through her ear buds. She knew she shouldn't be listening to music while it was dark - anyone could sneak up on her - but she had been obsessed with the song for the past week, and listened to it nonstop.

She paused the music and looked through her bag more thoroughly. Talia always kept it tidy inside, no garbage or useless items in the way, but somehow always managed to spend five minutes searching for the keys. 

A clicking sound echoed and she thought the song had started up again. Sometimes the device did that, started playing again randomly. She checked it, but its face was dark, and suddenly something cold pressed against her temple. 

 "Don't scream," a low voice said beside her. Talia stilled and shifted her eyes, catching a tall shadow in her periphery. The air was metallic around her, in a curious way. 

"I don't have any cash," she stated. Her voice was oddly calm, given the situation. 

"I don't need your money," the shadow replied, edging closer to her. There was a slight hint of an accent curling around the words. It was barely perceptible, but she caught it. Talia had a knack for that, though this one she could not place. "We need to get inside."

 _We?_  She thought. She didn't need this. She really didn't. 

"Open the door," the shadow ordered. Talia looked inside her bag again and immediately found the keys. _Maybe I should be held at gunpoint every night_ , she thought bitterly as she unlocked the deadbolt. 

The shadow pushed her roughly and stood at the doorway. It was darker inside, the only illumination coming from the lamps outdoors. Talia turned, allowing her features to look annoyed without the glow of any light to reveal them. 

The shadow wore a hood, and from what she could see and hear, it was most likely a he. She studied his face - the cut of his cheekbones, the full curve of his lips - and realized that he may have been handsome, though she could not decide for sure. His clothing was dark, save for the light grey of his sleeves, and he gripped the gun in his hand easily, fingers tight on the metal. 

Her eyes trailed downward and she saw he wore braces around his legs. _Interesting_ , she thought. _Were both of his legs broken, or did he wear them all of the time?_ The scowl on his face told her she probably shouldn't ask. 

The shadow man leaned out of the doorway, and whistled. A few seconds later, two other men were climbing up the steps, one carrying the other. They made it to the door and Shadow Man pushed them inside hastily before shutting it.

Silence and black consumed them. The two other men were breathing heavily, and Shadow Man was pacing, the metal of his braces clicking with each step.

"Where is the light?" He asked, though it sounded more like an order than a question. Talia moved to the table next to the couch and flicked on a lamp, a yellow glow now warming them. 

Her eyes landed on the two other men. One was bearded and good-looking, blue eyes sweet and deep. The other was youthful and his honey colored hair pulled back into a bun, the sides shaved. Her brow started to furrow at the style, thinking it a bit much, when she noticed it. Red. All over his torso. 

He was damp with blood.

She turned to go to the bathroom, when Shadow Man grabbed her wrist. Talia didn't even realize how quickly he had moved until he was right next to her, gripping her roughly. "Where the hell do you think you're going?"

"Hey," Blue Eyes called, his tone harsh. They both turned to glance at him and he simply shook his head. Shadow Man exhaled deeply, releasing her. Talia massaged her wrist, her brow wrinkling at his strength.

"He's bleeding, obviously" she said, looking him in the eye. His were blue too, an almost aqua hue that was entrancing. She ignored that and kept looking at him, squashing her irritation. 

He stared back at her. Wiping her face of any emotion, she only blinked at him. Shadow Man waved his hand, allowing her to go. She turned and made her way to the bathroom, dropping her bag on the couch. 

Whispers traveled from the living room, and she tried to catch what they were saying. It was obvious they wouldn't tell her anything if she asked, so she would not bother. That didn't mean she wasn't curious. Three handsome men, one bloodied, clearly running from someone or something. It was just her luck they ended up ambushing her, of all people.

Talia flicked on the light. The last time her mother had visited, she had left gauze and peroxide and other useful items throughout the apartment. She silently thanked her, balancing them in the crook of her arms as she walked back to the three men.

Manbun was slumped on the floor, a slightly pained expression on his face. She knelt next to him, pulling his shirt up gently. A small hole at his side spilled red, and Talia bit her lip. A bullet wound. There had been a shootout, and they clearly were not victorious.

"Is it still in there?" She asked him, fitting a glove over her hand. He shook his head, looking almost drunk.

"It wasn't deep," Blue Eyes told her, "He dug it out before we got here."

Talia hissed as she started to clean the wound. He shouldn't have touched it at all, but she was sure they would not go to a hospital. Manbun flinched at the dabbing, trembling as she mopped up the blood on his abdomen. 

It really didn't look so bad after all the red was gone, but it was still a bullet that struck him. He probably needed painkillers. Or a handle of vodka. Or both.

Talia wasn't sure what to do after cleaning the area, so she reached for her phone. Her mom might know, and could tell her, or could find someone to walk her through the procedure. How she would explain that she came across someone with a bullet wound and was treating them in her apartment? That she still hadn't figured out. But it seemed more important to help Manbun at the moment.

She started to dial her mother's number when Shadow Man snatched the phone from her. Talia stood with her hands in front of her, immobile, before she looked up at him.

He pried the SIM card out of its slot, then chucked it into his mouth, crushing it with his teeth.

"Awesome. Thank you for that," she said under her breath, letting her hands drop.

"Do you really think we're going to let you use a phone when we just held you at gunpoint? I'm sure you weren't calling mommy to gush about your day."

"I was actually. She was gonna tell me how to finish cleaning the wound, but I guess I can just go fuck myself and let your friend here die," she replied, rolling her eyes as she turned away.

 _Pressure!_ she remembered suddenly. _Always apply pressure to stop blood flow._

"Forgive him. He can be a bit high strung sometimes," Blue Eyes stated, his voice smooth and low. Shadow Man only spat out the card in response.

Talia knelt again, grabbing more gauze and some tape to treat the wound. "It doesn't look too bad, okay? You'll be in some pain for sure, but since it didn't hit you too deep, I think the bullet missed your organs. I just need to apply some pressure to stop the bleeding."

She raised her hand over him, hesitating. It was going to hurt, she knew and she didn't want to make him suffer any more. 

Blue Eyes looked at her, his face intense. "Thank you. For your help."

"Did I really have a choice?" Talia asked, finally pressing down. Manbun groaned, the muscles in his stomach contracting at her touch. 

Blue Eyes chuckled, lowering his gaze. "Touché."

The groaning waned; heavy, shallow breaths now flowing through Manbun. Talia replaced the soaked gauze with clean white pieces until the flow of red started to ease. She wiped the area with alcohol again, and he gripped her wrist hard, face contorting at the sting. She ignored his hand and kept working, finally taping more clean gauze over the wound.

"Can you help me get him to the other room?" She asked Blue Eyes, draping an arm over her shoulders. He followed suit, and they dragged him down the corridor. They placed him on the couch gently, and Talia removed his shoes.

"Let me take your shirt off, it's filthy," she murmured, lifting his arms.

"Under any other circumstance, I'm sure my brother would relish the fact that a woman was undressing him." Talia almost paused at his words, but kept on moving. They were brothers. _Was Shadow Man their brother as well?_ They didn't seem to look much like one another, but that meant nothing.

"Hopefully he survives, and he gets that chance soon," she replied evenly, laying a blanket over Manbun.

"He will. Hvitserk is resilient."

 _Hvitserk? What an odd name_ , she thought, but only nodded. Talia pulled the orange bottle from her jacket and popped the top, dumping two pills into her hand. She leaned over Manbun- _Hvitserk_ \- grabbing his jaw.

"Hey, can you swallow these for me? They will make you feel better, I promise." He opened his mouth and she pushed the pills past his lips. Hvitserk swallowed, scrunching his face.

Blue Eyes exhaled beside her. "Thank you again....."

She tilted her head. She knew what he was doing. "I hope you don't expect me to tell you my name without me first knowing yours."

He laughed again. She liked the sound, and the way his eyes seemed to light up when he smiled. "Ubbe. My name is Ubbe."

 The way it slid off of his tongue let her know that he wasn't making it up. And it was too unique to come up with on the spot. He was definitely telling her his real name, she decided. "Good! See, we can pretend to be normal, it's not that hard," she teased. Ubbe smirked at her, raising an eyebrow expectantly.

"Talia," she replied. She chose to be honest with him as well, return that courtesy. 

"Talia," he repeated, like he was savoring it. "Talia. I like that."

"Yeah, me too," she joked, somehow able to relax despite everything that had just happened. "And your gentlemanly friend in the living room? Does he have a name?"

Ubbe paused, crossing his leather-clad arms. "I'm sorry about him. Ivar was quite spoiled when we were younger, and he hasn't outgrown that yet."

So he was their brother also. He was much more brooding and curt compared to Ubbe. All three were intriguing to her, but she had to be smart. It was clear they were involved in something shady, and she did not need to be pulled in.

"We'll have to lay low for a while. Can we stay here? At least until Hvitserk recovers?"

"Do I have a choice?" she asked.

Ubbe only smiled.


	2. II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The next morning. Talia and Ubbe become more friendly while friction develops between her and Ivar. Hvitserk is still struggling with his wound.

"How could you tell her our names? What were you thinking?" Talia heard.

 She fell asleep soon after checking on Hvitserk, who had been restless. The pills had taken a while to work, and it was near three in the morning before he finally succumbed to slumber.

"She's already seen our faces. What does it matter?"

Her eyes popped open. Ubbe and Ivar were in her room. _What in the fuck?_ She shifted slightly, carefully, trying to avoid drawing attention to herself.

"She could report us to the police. I held a gun to her head, or did you forget?" Ivar retorted.

"No one told you to do that," Ubbe replied. He sounded tired, and annoyed. _I don't blame him_ , she thought. Ivar seemed insufferable. "She would have helped us anyway."

"You think too highly of people," Ivar said, his voice dripping with enmity.

Ubbe immediately responded, saying something Talia could not decipher. His voice was low, and clipped. _What language was that?_ she wondered. It seemed almost familiar, but she was sure she had never heard it before.

Silence followed, and Talia heard Ubbe walk out, pushing on the door roughly. She waited a few minutes before moving slowly. Turning onto her back, she paused when her eyes met Ivar's.

"Is there a reason why you're in my room while I'm sleeping?" She asked, her voice scratchy and deep from sleep. 

"You're not sleeping anymore," he replied, sniffing dismissively.

"You don't need to be a smart ass right now. It's not necessary," Talia told him, rubbing her eyes. He sat up and breathed deeply, zoning in on her like a hawk.

"You're right," he began. "I don't need to be anything. But I'm the one with the gun. So if I were you, I'd cool it with the attitude."

She rose and sat up, resting her chin in her hand. "If you were actually going to use that thing on me, you would have done so by now. Besides, I don't think you want to add murder to the list of crimes I'm sure you've already committed."

He stared back, his eyes intense. Then Ivar smirked at her, looking away. 

As bratty as he was, she had to admit he was really good-looking. His hood was pulled down, away from his head, and she allowed herself to study him.

His face was smooth and clear, and Talia imagined he looked quite striking when he smiled. Even so, the sharp angle of his cheekbones and the structure of his brow and the fullness of his lips afforded him a piercing beauty she did not think he deserved. Yet, she was still tempted to trace his features with her fingers, capture them on paper with her pencils and paints.

Ivar's hair was dark, much darker than his brothers' almost golden hue, and thick. It hung longer in the front and was shorter in the back. It suited him, though he seemed unconcerned about it, as well as his looks in general.

His clothes were baggy, but she could see the subtle definition of his musculature. Again Talia thought of drawing him; stripping him naked not for pleasure, but to copy his form onto canvas. It was irksome that she was so drawn to his appearance, when he had already been so unpleasant with her. At least Ubbe had been courteous, asking her if they could stay, when they both knew what the outcome would be. She wondered about Hvitserk, what he was like, then remembered. 

Talia climbed out of bed, tugging on a large sweater and donning her glasses. She was hungry, and thought of what she could make after she checked up on Hvitserk.

"Do you want breakfast?" she asked Ivar tentatively, pulling at her short hair. She had just cut it, and had taken to yanking the straight ends that hung a few inches below her ears. He glanced up at her, his features stony, but nodded.

Talia walked out, and went to Hvitserk. His skin looked pallid, but his breathing was normal. She pulled back the blanket to check on the gauze. A speck of red stained the white, and she pulled at the tape gently. The skin was raw. She cleaned the area, Hvitserk shifting as she worked, but managed to cover the wound again. Talia draped the blanket over him and walked out quietly.

She made her way to the kitchen and pulled the refrigerator door open. Ubbe found her moments later. He stood next to her, crossing his arms and following her gaze.

"I'm sorry if we woke you," he said softly.

"You didn't," she insisted. For some reason, Talia did not want him to feel bad. So she lied.

"Good," he said, glancing at her before leaning down to grab the carton of eggs. She pulled out milk and bread and followed him to the stove.

"Is French toast good?" she asked, grabbing cinnamon and cardamom to add to the milk and eggs.

Ubbe furrowed his brow as he popped open the carton. "What is French toast?"

"You've never had French toast before?" He shook his head, raising his eyebrows. "Bread? Eggs? Milk?"

"Oh," he said suddenly. "Yes. I know that. I haven't heard it called that before."

"Where are you from that you've never heard of French toast?" Talia prodded.

He turned to look at her, his smirk noncommittal, and she nodded.

"Right. Got it. Too personal." She poured the milk into a bowl and dumped the spices in. She added a tiny bit of cayenne pepper, then grabbed the eggs from Ubbe, whisking them into the mixture. "Well, is there anything you are allowed to tell me about yourself?"

He ran his palm over his undercut. "How about this: I tell you something, you tell me something."

"Quid pro quo?" she inquired. 

"It's only fair," he replied.

"Okay," Talia agreed hesitantly. "But I ask first. It's only fair, since you and your brothers have taken over my apartment."

"Fine. Go ahead."

"Okay. What's your favorite animal?"

Ubbe tilted his head at her, scrunching his face up. "Favorite animal? I've never thought about that before."

"Well, do it now, and then I'll tell you all of mine."

"Favorite animal..." he contemplated. "I guess wolves are cool. The whole pack thing, I like that. Sticking together."

"Good choice," she said. "I really like foxes. Kinda like wolves. They are so cute and wily. And turtles, and polar bears, and pandas. Elephants are great. And hummingbirds! Love hummingbirds. And-"

"You have a lot," he told her, dipping slices into the milk.

"Well, there are lots of animals out there to love."

"Seems like it," he replied. "Okay, my turn. What is something you are obsessed with?"

"Wow. Intense," she said. "Um...I like piercings." Ubbe eyes got wide and excited. "Only on my ears though," and he pouted comically at that.

"Can I see them?" he asked her. Talia nodded and pulled her hair back, tilting her head to her right. She could not see his face, but felt him touch the cuff she wore, then her tragus. "Did they hurt?"

"Some did, some didn't. They all hurt when they are healing. What about you, what are you obsessed with?"

Ubbe's face changed then. A darkness shifted over his features that did not seem to suit his good-natured air. Then she remembered why he was even here in the first place.

"I like motorcycles," he told her, regaining his composure. Talia was not sure what had just occurred in front of her, but she let it slide, determined to find out what the three brothers were really up to soon enough. 

They continued their game, back and forth, as they finished preparing the food. She was laughing at some Ubbe had just said when she heard a metal clicking. She turned to find Ivar at the entrance, watching them intently. Though he was handsome, the intensity of his stare unnerved her, and Talia turned her back to him again, smiling nervously as his brother.

 Ubbe caught her look, but said nothing of it. "Come, Ivar. Come eat." 

He walked in, the clicking resuming. They sat at the small table, Ubbe placing the food at the center. _Like a big happy, fucked up family_ , Talia thought to herself.

They ate silently, and she glanced between the two men. She tried to keep her breathing steady, but the reality of what was happening put her on edge. 

"Is there something you would like to say?" Ivar asked, breaking the silence. Talia paused her chewing, shifting her eyes to him.

"Ivar," Ubbe called, his tone carrying a hint of warning.

"Not at all," she replied. "Would you like to share something?"

"Yes, actually," he began. "You can't leave. Not until we're gone. You have to stay here, and keep your mouth shut. You tell no one we were here. Got it?"

"No deal," she replied. "I have a job. I have bills to pay. You can't expect me to be locked up here just because you say so. I have a life. And I'm not going to let you ruin it with your tomfoolery."

Ivar gave a mirthless laugh, throwing his fork on the plate. "I've really had about enough of your shit." 

"You can go," Talia said, extending her palm toward the door. "I'm pretty sure I never invited you here in the first place."

"Enough," Ubbe barked. "Talia..." he started softly. She could tell he was trying his hardest to be cordial. "Talia, we will need to stay here for a bit. And we can't risk anyone knowing we are here. We can compensate you, for the inconvenience."

"How long?" she asked. Ubbe looked at Ivar, who only stared back. 

"We're not sure. But I can promise you, you will not be hurt. We will not ruin your life."

Talia nodded. "I guess I can ask for ask few days off. Let me see what I can do."

"Thank you," Ubbe said, nodding graciously. 

"But listen to me," she said, her voice low. "You keep your promise to me. You don't ruin my life. You really better fucking not," she stated, looking Ivar in the eye as she did so. 

Suddenly, the doorbell rang.


	3. III

They froze.

 _Who could it be?_ Talia wondered. She rarely had unannounced guests. Ivar grabbed the gun from the table and stood, clicking his way to the door.

"Where are you going?" she asked, whispering harshly.

"To answer. It's rude to keep people waiting," he responded. 

"With a gun?" she said, standing and pushing past him. The tips of her socked feet made no sound as she walked toward the door, her brain running through the list of people who could be on the other side. Ivar followed closely behind and settled himself to her right, hiding his tall frame. Talia gave him a nasty glance before unlocking, which he simply ignored. 

She leaned in close, eyeing through the cracked slit. She recognized the figure and sighed in relief.

"Mr. Kang, hi, good morning," Talia greeted, giving her landlord a small smile. 

"Hi Talia. How are you? I always miss you when I come to do inspections, but I ring the bell, just in case!" he replied jovially.

"I'm well, I just took a few days off from work. It's nice to see you."

"Yes, I'm glad you catch you too. I heard there was a shooting downtown. Please be careful the next time you go to work," he urged, his wrinkled brow creasing even more. "Andrew works down there as well, and I called him as soon as I heard. I was very worried." Andrew was Mr. Kang's eldest child.

Talia's eyes met Ivar's quickly before she smiled. "Thank you Mr. Kang. Luckily I won't be around there much this week, but tell Andrew to be careful. And tell Mrs. Kang I say hello."

"Yes! Of course! I will, I will. Do you mind if I come in to check on everything? It'll only take a second." At that, Ivar straightened, gripping the gun tighter in his hand. Talia inhaled deeply and put her hand on the doorframe right next to Ivar's arm. She led it to his bicep and pulled at the grey sleeve, silently pleading with him to relax, that she would handle the situation.

"Actually, my boyfriend is in town, and he's got strep throat. He's pretty contagious, so I want to avoid anyone getting it as much as possible." Ivar wrapped his hand around her wrist and squeezed, hard, urging her to finish up.

"Oh my, I'm sorry. You know what? I'll ask Mrs. Kang to make her famous dakdoritang for him and I'll bring it over. He will love it." Ivar squeezed even harder, and Talia bit her lip, trying not to cry out.

"Yes, that would be perfect. Thank you so much Mr. Kang. I'll see you soon, yeah?" She said, closing the door.

"Bye, Talia. Remember, be careful!" The elder man called after her as he walked down the hall.

"I will!" she said, before slamming the door closed. Talia gasped when Ivar pulled her to him, studying her closely.

"You're a good liar," he stated, blue eyes narrowing as if in suspicion. "That shit you told him just rolled off your tongue."

She pulled away roughly, rolling her wrist to ease the pain from his squeeze. "It's easy to lie when you want to protect other people."

"I wasn't going to hurt him," he told her, running his tongue over his bottom lip.

"Sure. And you're my boyfriend, right? How's your throat doing?" Talia retorted, turning away from him. She thought she heard Ivar snicker as she walked back to the kitchen.

Ubbe had already started cleaning up, and she went to help. He raised a finger, shaking his head, and grabbed the plates from her hands.

_I don't understand. You and your brothers are practically criminals, but you are so well mannered. You ambush me and threaten me, but you have enough money to cover my bills indefinitely? Who the hell are you all?_

That was what she wanted to say. But she didn't. Talia only watched as Ubbe rinsed the plates. 

She heard a groan down the hall, and immediately turned to go to Hvitserk. Ivar was making his way to his brother, and they almost ran into one another. She huffed, and he glared down at her. Talia let him pass, and followed him into the room. 

Hvitserk was awake, pulling at the tape covering his wound.

"No, no, don't do that," she soothed, swaddling his larger hands with her own.

"It hurts like a bitch," he said, voice hoarse.

"Well, you were shot, so that makes sense," Talia replied, grabbing the water bottle she had left for him. Since the wound wasn't too deep, she thought it would be okay for him to have fluids at least.

Hvitserk chuckled, accepting the bottle. "Are you a doctor?" he inquired. Talia only shook her head. "Nurse?" he tried again.

"No. My mother is. I just picked up little things from her."

"That's too bad. I have a thing for hot nurses," he teased, eyeing her suggestively. She held out her palm, urging him to take the two pills.

"Well, I guess that won't be an issue here. My mom is too old for you anyway," Talia replied.

He smirked and swallowed them back. “How do you know?” Talia narrowed her eyes in response.

"How is he?" Ubbe said, walking into the space.

"He's fine," Ivar replied flatly, and Talia almost forgot he was in the room. She turned to look back at him, when Ubbe started speaking to Hvitserk. That same language she could not place escaped from his lips again. The two went back and forth, she lost in between. 

Talia cleared her throat, and they glanced down at her. "You should rest. A bullet wound doesn't heal overnight." Ubbe nodded, and Hvitserk lied back, covering himself with the blanket again. She stood and walked out, Ubbe following her into the hall.

"Talia, thank-"

"You don't have to keep thanking me. Your brother was shot. You needed help."

"Yes. I'm sorry for putting you in this position, but I will keep my promise to you," he said, eyes sincere as they searched her face. She simply nodded, unsure what the right words would be in response. "Like I said, we will compensate you. Everything will be covered. Do you have a laptop?"

"Yup." She led the way to her room and unlocked her Macbook, handing it over to him. 

"Give me your bank information and I will handle everything else. If you don't mind, I'll get a few supplies for us delivered here. Food, clothes, things to treat Hvitserk. Is that all right?"

"Sure." Talia told him, gripping the door handle firmly. She just had so many questions, and was desperate to voice them. But she walked to the other room, to make sure Hvitserk was comfortable.  

He'd fallen back to sleep, his brow furrowed. She glanced at Ivar, seated on the smaller chaise. He'd laid his head back on the armrest, and was breathing deeply, looking much more at ease without the perpetual scowl.

She walked to him and placed a hand on his shoulder tentatively. He inhaled sharply at her touch, the grimace immediately returning.

"Do you want to go to my room and lie there?" she asked, careful not to wake Hvitserk. 

"I'm fine," he shot back, turning away from her.

"You're not. You won’t sleep well here, it’s not big enough for you," Talia told him, trying to hide a smile. "Come on. You haven't slept, and my bed is really comfy.” She tugged on his sleeve, and he stood, shaking his head as he followed her. She pulled on the navy duvet and Ivar slumped into the bed, turning onto his back.

"Do you want me to take your shoes off?" she asked, pulling the pillow under his head.

"Leave it," he said sharply. "I'll take them off myself."

"Okaaay," Talia said, backing away. She huffed and left the room. Every time she tried to be amiable with Ivar, he immediately squashed her attempts. It only made her want to snap back at him.

She found Ubbe in the living room, typing away on her laptop. "Your brother is a dick," she told him, crossing her arms. He chuckled, still typing. 

"What did Ivar do this time?" Ubbe asked, his question conveying that he was used to people making such statements.

"He almost ripped my head off when I offered to take his shoes off so he could sleep."

Ubbe stopped typing and looked over at her. He glanced back at the screen and resumed. "He's sensitive about his condition. Ivar doesn't like to feel like people are pitying him."

"Condition?" Talia prodded.

"He's worn those braces his entire life. They sort of made him an easy target. People looked down on him, because they felt sorry or they were ridiculing him."

Talia nodded. "I wasn't doing either. I just wanted him to be able to sleep."

"I know," he replied. "It's nothing personal. He'll warm up to you quickly."

 _Hopefully not_ , Talia thought. She wanted Hvitserk to heal. She hoped they would leave soon, and wanted to return to her life. But something told her that they would be sticking around for a while.


	4. IV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Talia and Ivar start to make nice, with a little encouragement from Ubbe

"Do you want some weed?"

It was nighttime already. The sun seemed to set earlier each day, and it made Talia miss summer.

Ubbe turned his head to look at her, then his features turn mischievous. He nodded, and she leaned across the couch to pull a tiny chest off of the table. She placed the rolling papers and little baggie on the surface, and sat cross-legged on the floor.

"Do you smoke much?" She asked him, ripping some paper for the filter.

"No, not really. I wasn't ever too into it, but Sigurd-" he cut himself off. Talia looked at him, confused.

"Sigurd? Who's that?" she inquired. 

"He's...was my brother." _Another brother. How many of them are there?_

"Was?"

Ubbe nodded, his face somber. Clearly something happened to Sigurd, and he didn't want to talk about it, so she wouldn't pry. Though she was dying too.

"Yeah, I wasn't into it when I was younger. I didn't do anything; didn't smoke, didn't drink. But I obviously got over that," she said, presenting him with the rolled joint.

"That's funny. You definitely look like you're into all of that stuff," Ubbe told her, grabbing it.

"Excuse me? What does that mean?" she teased, searching for the lighter.

"You just look like you know how to have a good time, is what I meant."

 "Nice save," Talia replied. "I think I left the lighter in my room, let me go get it." She walked down the hall and opened the door slowly. It was dark inside, and she could just barely make out the figure lying on the bed.

"Ivar?" she tried, her voice barely above a whisper.

"What?" he replied clearly. Talia rolled her eyes, flicking on a lamp. She rummaged through her dresser, trying to locate the lighter. Ivar sat up on the edge of the bed, running his hands through his dark locks.

Talia saw the metal lighter and palmed it. She turned to Ivar, and he met her eyes, his own still looking sleepy.

"Ubbe and I are gonna smoke. Do  you wanna join us?"

He lowered his gaze, remaining silent. She started to leave when suddenly she heard him speak.

"Yes."

Talia paused and turned again to face him, biting back a smile. Maybe he was just cranky, and had needed some food and rest. "Okay. Come on then."

He stood slowly, his face looking slightly pained, and followed her to the living room. Ubbe was rolling the joint between his fingers absentmindedly. She flicked the lighter open and he looked up, smiling at her. He brought the joint to his lips and she lit it for him.

Ubbe puffed on it quickly, holding the smoke in his chest before passing it to her. Talia took a hit, pulling the smoke down her throat. It tasted smooth and sweet and it immediately calmed her.

She passed the joint to Ivar, and watched him intently. He brought it to his mouth and inhaled the smoke, then let it drift passed his lips before he breathed it into his nose again.

 _Showoff_ , she thought. Talia always thought it was cool when she saw other people hit a French inhale. She didn't want to think Ivar was cool though. He was rude and bratty and prone to violence, and she’d barely even known him a whole day.

They passed the joint around a few more times and Talia felt great. "You know what? We should play Scrabble. It's my favorite board game," she announced. "Yeah. We're playing Scrabble."

"Oh my god," Ivar spoke up, sounding surprised. "You're a fucking nerd. I knew it."

"So what?" she said slowly, tugging on her strands. "I'm not ashamed. Better than being a jerk." He smirked and took another hit, seemingly unfazed at the taunt. Talia brushed past him and went to the closet in the hall. She pulled the game out and returned, setting it up on the table.

"I am going to kick both of your asses," Ubbe told them slowly, rubbing his palms together. He grabbed letters carefully, as if he could actually see them, though they were face down. Talia laughed as she watched him and organized her own. E, T, O, K, P, X, and F. _What can I spell with that?_

She looked up, glancing between the brothers. "Ivar, you can go first," she stated. He looked at her suspiciously, but laid his letters down, a Y, an A, and a K. Yak.

 _Decent_ , Talia thought. Ubbe went next, spelling out kilt, and she used Ivar's Y told spell poxy.

"That's not a word," he challenged. 

"Yes it is," she insisted. "It's an adjective. How do you describe someone who has a pox? They're poxy, duh."

"Fine," Ivar said, laying down more letters. He kept challenging almost everything she put down, so Talia tried to come up with more and more obscure words, just to have him look them up and prove him wrong. They went back and forth, Ubbe chuckling to himself as he watched. She won the game in the end.

"You cheated," he said, almost pouting.  

"I didn't. I don't need to cheat. You're just a sore loser," she smiled smugly at him. 

"You are. You always have been," Ubbe said, clearing up the pieces. Ivar sneered at his brother, then took another hit of the joint. He lied back against the couch, looking relaxed. Talia observed him, liking how at ease he seemed. He was still being bratty, but it seemed more amusing now. Ubbe stood to put the box back in the closet, and subtly motioned for Talia to follow him. Her eyes lingered on Ivar before she got to her feet, grabbing the top and scurried after him.

"I told you," he said, taking the top from her hands.

"Told me what?" she asked.

"He's starting to like you."

Talia made a face. "He called me a nerd and accused me of cheating. I don’t think that’s how you win people over."

"Exactly," Ubbe replied. "He's teasing you. Ivar is not the best at being friendly-"

"Really?” Talia interjected. “I'm shocked. He's been such a gem, I don't know what you're talking about."

Ubbe chuckled. "Go talk to him. He will like it. Ivar will warm up to you even more if you are persistent," he urged, nodding his head.

She gave him a hesitant look. "Talk to him? About what?" She couldn’t imagine having a civil conversation with Ivar. It felt like too much work to be nice to him. Every time she tried, they ended up bickering. It was not a challenge she wanted to taken on, no matter how much Ubbe believed she would be able to mollify his brother’s surly mood

"Anything," he whispered to her. "It's not very often Ivar hangs out with people. Or girls. It'll be good for him, to talk to someone. Go on."

“Well, maybe if he fixed that attitude of his, people might actually want to talk to him,” Talia murmured under her breath.

Ubbe rolled his eyes. “Go on.”

She exhaled and turned to walk back to the living room. Ivar was still sucking on the joint, dangling it between his lips. Talia curved around the couch and sat next to him, making sure to keep some distance between them.

"If I asked you to sit for me, would you do it?" Talia asked suddenly, reaching over to pluck the joint from his lips and bring it to her own. The effect of the weed had loosened her inhibitions and she wanted to know. It had been on her mind this morning, and since they would not be leaving the apartment anytime soon, she wanted something to do, to occupy her time.

He turned his head, blue eyes steady on her. "Sit for what?"

"So I can draw you."

"What for?" he shot back immediately, his voice tense.

"You have a good face for drawing. And you said so yourself, we’re stuck in here, for reasons that have yet to be explained to me. So why not?” she said, matter of fact. She blew the smoke out of her mouth, eyeing him from her periphery. He looked pensive, almost unsure.

"Oh.." he said. "....okay."

"Okay?" Talia echoed, turning to meet his gaze. "You'll sit for me?"

"Yeah. I'll sit for you."

"Good," she said, placing the dying roach on the table.

"No one's ever asked me that before. Kinda weird," he said, sounding a bit lost.

"Is it?" Talia began, "Is it as weird as holding someone at him gunpoint and taking over their apartment? I think that's pretty weird. And I don’t believe that. No one’s asked you for your picture, or to model for them?"

He looked over at her, his eyelids heavy, and started smiling slowly. _Ah, there it is_ , she thought, admiring his face. _I knew it. What a beautiful fucking smile_. Ivar laughed, and she smirked back at him.

"Where's Ubbe?" he asked suddenly, snuggling into the couch.

"I think he went to sleep. I don't think he's slept since you all got here," she told him, searching down the dark hallway. She laid her head on the edge of the couch, her eyes feeling tired.

Ivar hummed, his own already closed. "No. He hasn't."

That was the last thing she remembered hearing, before drifting off to sleep.


	5. V

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sexual tension galore

A warm and heavy weight was settled on her, and she liked the feeling of it. Talia tried to shift, but whatever it was held her down, gripping at her tightly.

She reached across her front and felt hair; soft and short, and felt warm, smooth skin as well. Her brow furrowed in confusion before she opened her eyes slowly. Her gaze shifted to her chest, and she found Ivar strewn over her, his head rising and falling to the rhythm of her breaths.

Talia's heart sped up at the sight of him on top of her. _What happened last night?_ She thought back, and remembered they had been talking. Ivar agreed to let her draw him, and then he asked about Ubbe, and then they must have fallen asleep. She couldn't remember lying back, or him crawling over her, but clearly it had occurred at some point while they slept. 

She wanted to move, but didn't want to wake Ivar. It would be too awkward to acknowledge that they had slept together on the couch. That he had literally lied on top of her. _Thank goodness that's all we did_ , she thought. But any time she moved he would hold her tighter, nuzzling his face into her chest.

Ivar's lips kept brushing against her right nipple, and as much as she wanted to deny it, his mouth felt so good on her. Every time he moved, a little ache ran up her back. Talia wanted to wrap her hands around his broad back and grind her body into his roughly, feel his skin against hers. _Man, I need to fuck someone_ , she thought. She was getting desperate if Ivar, of all people, was turning her on. 

A door opened down the hall, and Talia shut her eyelids quickly, feigning sleep. Her heart beat even louder in her chest, and she worried the pounding might wake Ivar. He kept on sleeping, making curious little noises at the back of his throat that were almost endearing. 

She heard rummaging in the kitchen, a few drawers being opened. Then footsteps towards the living room. Talia threw a hand over her eyes to hide her face so that whoever was coming could not see she was awake. The steps stopped right at the couch, and she heard chewing. Then something hit Ivar near his head, and he stiffened. 

He stretched slowly and lifted himself off of her chest. "What?" he said, voice gravelly and irritated.

"Having a good time?"

Hvitserk.

 _What is he doing, walking around? He still needs to rest._  

"I was asleep, obviously." Talia felt his breath across her skin. Ivar must have been looking down at her. She tried to keep as still as possible.

"Yeah? Wanna trade places?" Hvitserk asked, walking around the couch. Ivar scoffed, pulling himself off of her completely, and Talia felt a twinge of disappointment at his retreating frame. Her fingers twitched at the thought of grabbing his neck and pulling him back down.

She heard the front door open. "Ivar, come here," Hvitserk called. "Come grab this stuff." Whatever Ubbe ordered must have arrived already. They brought the items to the table in living room and started ripping through the boxes. Talia inhaled deeply and stretched, pretending to finally wake at the sounds.

" _'Dear Talia. Mr. Kang said your boyfriend was sick, so I made him some of my famous Korean stew. I cooked enough for the two of you to eat for a few days, so please enjoy. When he is better, we would love to have the two of you over for dinner. Please tell your mother I said hello.  Hugs, Mrs. Kang._ ' Aw, how sweet!" Hvitserk fake gushed, throwing the paper in her direction. It glided onto her face and she snatched it off, rolling her eyes.

"What are you doing up? You'll start bleeding again if you keep walking around like that," she told him. The gauze was relatively clean, which was a positive sign, but she thought it would be a good idea to treat the wound again, just in case. Her eyes shifted to Ivar, seated on the other couch. He was sorting through the boxes, concentrating hard on what was inside.

"I was hungry," Hvitserk replied nonchalantly, dipping a hand into the stew. He pulled out a whole chicken leg and started munching, humming appreciatively. He sat next to Ivar, watching him sort through what their brother had gotten for them.

She sat up, tucking her hair behind her ears, and walked to her room. Ubbe lied on his back on her bed, fully clothed. His lips were slightly parted, and he was breathing deeply. _He must have been so tired_ , Talia mused, smiling softly. She gathered clothes and a towel, and headed to the bathroom to shower.

She stripped, stepping into the tub and letting the scalding water hit her skin. She sighed, enjoying how it relaxed her muscles. She washed her hair, it taking no time now since it was so much shorter, then scrubbed the lemon scented soap into her skin. 

Her hand brushed across her breast and she immediately thought of Ivar. Talia felt a stab of pleasure in her stomach, and it traveled downward to her core. _Oh no_ , she thought. _No, no, no, this cannot be happening. That meant nothing. We just fell asleep, and it was comfortable to sleep that way on the couch. Ivar was still a brat would hurt you at any second. Don't do this._

She dried off and dressed, tugging on ripped jeans and a baggy sweatshirt. The door to her room was closed, and she was about to knock when someone spoke inside.

"It was weird, Ubbe. She's been pissing me off the whole time we've been here, and then I'm waking up on top of her. My head was all mixed up," Ivar stated.

"Which one?" Ubbe asked, and she heard Ivar huff.

"Be serious," he said, and Ubbe laughed softly.

"Didn't you like it? She's hot. And maybe, you know, something could happen. She's been pissing you off because you've been shitty to her, and she's not taking it like everyone else does. You aren't used to someone standing up to you. And you've been denying to yourself that maybe you're attracted to her, that maybe you like that. Lighten up a little, Ivar. We don't know how long we'll be here. Might as well enjoy before returning to reality, right?"

Ivar suddenly switched from English to the other language, and she cursed silently. _What the fuck was he saying?_ She now understood when her mother would always insist on speaking English in public to her, rather than her native tongue. She always told Talia it was rude,  that it was inconsiderate of others. This was the first time she'd consciously been on the receiving end of it, and it was annoying not to be able to understand what they were saying. 

Talia let them talk a bit more before she knocked on the door. They stopped, and she heard a _Come in_. She turned the knob slowly and poked her head inside. Ubbe smiled at her widely, and Ivar only stared, his face guarded.

"Shower's free," she said to them, walking to her closet to dump her clothes into the hamper. Talia felt the weight of their eyes on her, but she was cool, turning to face them easily. Ivar stood, grabbing clothes and such, and brushed past her without a word. She eyed him, feeling the heat coming off of him, but said nothing as well. Her eyes shifted back to Ubbe, and he was watching her, a curious little smile on his lips.

"You hungry?" Talia asked, ignoring his expression. He sat up, running his hands through his hair. It was sticking up every which way, and she thought it was adorable.

"What's for breakfast?" he asked. 

"Whatever you want. My treat," she teased. He chuckled and followed her outside. Hvitserk was still in the living room, bare chested and munching on the chicken.

"I don't know what the hell Mrs. Kang put in this stew, but it's fucking good," he said with his mouth full.

"I'll let her know you enjoyed it," Talia mentioned.

"How are you feeling?" Ubbe asked him, and Hvitserk only shrugged. Talia walked to the kitchen, letting them talk, and started pulling things out of the fridge. She toasted bread, scrambled eggs, fried some bacon, and brewed a pot of coffee, laying it all on the table for them to enjoy.

"Food is ready," she said to Ubbe and Hvitserk as she entered the living room. They turned to her, both of their faces stern. Talia looked between them, and raised an eyebrow.

"I'll just go find Ivar," she told them, the tension in the air giving her goosebumps. She walked down the hall to her room, and the door was closed gain. Glancing at the bathroom door, she checked to make sure Ivar was out of the shower before knocking again.

"What?" he called back. _He really could be so curt_ , she thought. Talia opened the door, and found Ivar sitting on the bed, drying his hair. He smelled like her lemon soap and was half dressed, only wearing a pair of olive green pants under his braces. She couldn't help but ogle him, her eyes trailing over the expanse of his rippled back. Muscles shifted under his smooth skin as he lowered his arm, and Talia felt that stab in her stomach again. It grew more intense when her eyes roamed over his cut chest and arms, and she silently marveled at him. It was like he had been carved from stone, he was so gorgeous. She couldn't wait to draw him. And maybe do more than draw him. 

_No! None of that. You're only going to draw him._

"What is it?" he asked her, looking unsure under her gaze. 

"Breakfast is ready," she blurted, avoiding his eyes. Talia turned and stalked out of the room suddenly, but not before getting one last good look at him. He was standing now, and she could see every groove in his stomach. She bit her lip at the sight, squeezing her eyes to burn it into her memory.

Ubbe and Hvitserk were already eating in the kitchen. "Didn't you already eat half of the stew? Aren't you full?"

"No," Hvitserk replied immediately, biting into his toast and smiling widely at her. He looked like a little boy, and she suppressed her own smirk.

"His stomach is a black hole," Ubbe said, sipping on his coffee. Ivar then entered the kitchen, a navy shirt now covering his frame. Talia masked her disappointment by taking a sip from her mug. The blue did bring out his eyes, which she liked. But she couldn't wait to get that shirt back off.


	6. VI

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A lil' bit of smut

"Here, you can sit on this stool." 

Talia guided Ivar to the seat and watched him closely. His face looked a bit angry, but he kept scratching at his temple. _He's nervous_ , she realized, a small smile forming on her lips.  _That’s kinda cute._

"I'll get you some music, then you won't be so bored just sitting here," she told him. _And it might calm you down, too._ She walked to her room and grabbed her iPod from her bag, searching through the music as she returned to Ivar. "What do you like to listen to?"

He shrugged, his gaze low. "Whatever."

"No preferences?" Talia prodded again. He looked at her sharply, his face telling her to get on with it. She exhaled, but gave him the earbuds, hitting play on a mix she put together a while back. He inserted the buds into his ears, his brow furrowing as he listened. 

Talia went to the closet and started pulling supplies: a couple of pencils, a large pad of paper, a good eraser.

"I like this," Ivar stated abruptly, startling her. Talia turned, smiling at him, and nodded her head. 

She gathered the materials into her arms and walked over to him, pulling one of the buds out of his ears. "I can make you a copy of that. Or even make you your own mix, if you'd like."

"Yeah," he said immediately, scrolling through the songs. "Make something for me."

She stood in front of him, watching as he listened. The pencils dug into her palm as she tightened her grip. 

"Ivar," she tried. "Take your shirt off for me, please."

His eyes glided to hers. They stared at one another for what seemed like forever. But then he stood slowly, his gaze never wavering, and pulled his shirt over his head. She could feel the warmth coming off of him and caught the lemon scent on his skin again, as well as something else she knew was solely his. It was wonderful. He threw the shirt behind her and sat on the stool. 

Talia took a seat on couch, readying everything. _God, he is...breathtaking_. It wasn't a word she was accustomed to using, especially to describe other people. But it almost pained her to look at him.

She started sketching, glancing up occasionally to capture the lines of his frame. 

"What should I do?" he asked, looking everywhere but her face.

"You're good there. Just don't move too much." He nodded, settling his hands on his legs. Talia decided to focus on his face for a while, and as she kept drawing, she realized that was her favorite part about him. He was so expressive. One minute Ivar looked sulky, then his features looked bored, and then he was surprised. It was as if he was giving a private show, just for her.

She then went back to drawing his whole body, trying to catch the shadows along his ribs and shoulders. The sketch was about half way done when she noticed a pained expression on his face. "Are you okay? Do you need a break?" she inquired.

"I just need to move my legs, they’re stiff," Ivar told her, and she nodded, dropping her pencil. He stretched, then stood, groaning lightly as he moved.

"Do you wanna see what I have so far?" she asked, admiring his back. He turned slowly, then nodded, walking over to the couch. Ivar sat next to her, and she placed the pad on his lap. He leaned in closely, eyes roaming carefully over the sketches. Talia tried to guess what he was thinking, but his face was blank, conveying nothing to her.

"They're a bit rough, but I think I did an okay job. It's been a while since I've sketched anything," she admitted, trying to catch his eye.

There was a pause before he spoke. "That's what I look like?" The question wasn’t taunting or rude; he seemed genuinely curious.

She chuckled, slightly confused. "Yeah. What were you expecting?"

He shook his head, his brow wrinkling. "It's....you made me look...nice," he fumbled, scratching at his temple again.

"I draw what I see. That's what I was taught. That's what I see when I look at you, Ivar."

He blinked at her words, staring intently at the paper, then turned to meet her gaze. Talia could see how clear and bright the blue of his eyes were. They were soft, and open. Talia liked them like that; much preferred it to the hardness that was usually etched into his brow. She then lowered her eyes to his lips. _He’s so close, I really could just..._

She leaned in, closing the small gap between them. His mouth was soft and tasted like the oranges she had cut up for breakfast. Ivar turned, gripping her neck with both of his hands, and kissed her back, hard. He leaned his body over hers and settled his weight between her legs, just like how they had lied earlier on in the morning.

Her hand crept up his arm, and she relished how hard it felt under her palm. Talia trailed it up his neck and ran her fingers through his hair. His lips moved down her jaw to her neck and he sucked at the skin there.

"You feel so good," Ivar whispered, gripping her waist, and she smiled.

"That's not what you told me yesterday," Talia teased, arching into him. She wrapped her leg around him and pulled his body closer. 

"You are so fucking annoying," he retorted, pulling her sweater up. She only had a flimsy bralette on underneath, but she didn't care. It only meant that she got to feel more of him. 

"That's more like it," she said.

Ivar hovered over her on his knees. His eyes were almost black, and his face looked hungry, like he had just found the perfect prey. It made her heart speed up in excitement, rather than fear. Talia ran her palm over the dips of his abdomen, rising to meet him. She was fascinated by how his muscles flexed at her touch.

He pushed her back down onto the couch roughly and settled over her again, pulling at one of her straps. Ivar licked the skin of her shoulder and she shuddered, giggling at the sensation. He then nipped at her ear, and Talia gasped, her hips shifting into his. Ivar growled at that, and rose, picking her up easily. She almost squealed, wrapping her arms around his neck as he sat and positioned her on his lap.

“Take your bra off,” he ordered, and her brows rose. “You really thought you were gonna have me strip for you and I wouldn’t make you do the same? Take it off,” he barked. Rather than making her angry, the brusque command only caused a heat to pool between her thighs. Talia bit her lip as she pulled the straps down and loosened the clip behind her back.

His eyes trailed over her slowly, and that little ache she felt in her spine before returned. Ivar straightened and kissed her again, even harder this time. He wrapped one hand around her neck while the over traveled over her torso. His thumb rubbed circles over her nipple, and a whine escaped from the back of her throat.

Ivar kept on, lowering his hand until he found the waistband of her jeans. He undid the button and dove his palm inside, trailing his fingers into her folds. She rode into his hand eagerly and moaned into his mouth.

“You like that, huh?” he asked, smirking down at her. He leaned back a bit and shifted his hand, finding her clit and rubbing at her in the perfect way.

“Fuck, yes, right there,” she sighed, loving how he was toying at her. Ivar snickered at the response, but maintained the pace. He pulled her forward and captured her mouth again, smothering the moan she released when he inserted a finger. Talia writhed and tugged at his hair when he twisted his hands inside of her, and she desperately wanted him to do it again.

Voices suddenly rang loudly from the Iiving room and she broke their kiss, pushing him and standing up to put her sweater back on.

"What-"

"Someone's coming, put your shirt back on," she whispered. Ivar sighed and rolled his eyes, slipping it over his head.

"Are we in grade school?" He asked before Hvitserk barged into the room, eyes wide.

"Ivar! He found him! Bjorn found Ecbert!"


	7. VII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little bit of fluff, a little bit of anger, but Talia starts to learn a little more about the Ragnarssons.

They kicked her out of the room and locked themselves in for hours.

Talia didn't know who Bjorn was. Or Ecbert. Or why everyone seemed to have such interesting names. She had no idea what was happening, and had so many questions.

Pressing her ear against the wall, she tried to catch snippets of what they were saying, but none of it made sense. And only a small portion of what she could actually hear was in English, so eavesdropping was futile, to her dismay.

She lied back down on her bed, thoughts all over the place. Talia shifted onto her side and felt how loose her waistband was. Her jeans were still unbuttoned, and the memory of what happened between her and Ivar flooded back into her mind.

She couldn't help but smile. When he'd first barged into her place, she immediately disliked him. He was harsh and inconsiderate, and it rubbed her the wrong way. His brothers were much more jovial and approachable, even considering the fact that they were all clearly into some risky shit. But though she’d only known him for a few days, Talia could already see it was a front. There was a softness, a gentleness to Ivar that was tucked away, very deep, but was quite endearing. It was obvious he was just afraid of revealing that part of himself, especially after what Ubbe told her about him. But she wanted to see more of it.

The night turned dark quickly, and still they remained inside. Talia was growing restless. _When are they going to come out_? She wondered. Her stomach growled and she realized she hadn't eaten since breakfast. Talia warmed up what was left of Mrs. Kang's stew and carried the bowl in her hands, drifting thoughout the apartment. She then made herself some hot cocoa and returned to her bed, and simply waited.

The voices in the other room started growing louder, and Talia stiffened, trying to hear what was going on. The other door suddenly opened, and a few moments later, Ivar pushed into her room, breathing harshly. He paced back and forth, and Talia rose to meet him, trying to catch his gaze.

"What's wrong? What happened?" she asked, following his movements.

"They're being fucking stupid," he said, his words sounding like a growl, rumbling low in his chest.

"What? Who is? Ubbe and Hvitserk?"

"All of them!" Ivar shouted. "Ubbe, Hvitserk, Bjorn. They don't know what the fuck they're doing, and they won't listen to me. I'm so sick of their bullshit. Just because I'm the young-"

"Who's Bjorn?" Talia asked, and that made him pause. He looked at her, as if finally realizing she was in the room, and she could already see him retreating back into himself.

"No, no," Talia told him, shaking her head. "Don't do that."

"Do what?"

"Don't shut down because I asked you a question and you don’t want to answer me." She walked past him and closed the door. Then she turned and approached him slowly, reaching up to frame his face with her hands. "Please, just...talk to me. I've held back from asking all of you what's going on. Can you just answer this one thing? Just tell me. Who's Bjorn?"

Ivar sighed, his blue eyes looking conflicted. She didn't want to push him away. She didn't want to pry or be in his business. But if they were going to hide away in her apartment, and bring whatever mess they had created into her life, the least they could do - the least Ivar could do - is answer this one simple question. Talia rubbed his cheek with her thumb, her eyes pleading with him.

"Bjorn is our older brother," he finally told her.

Talia released a breath. "Not that hard, right?" she asked him, leading him to the bed. She crawled to the other side, making room for him, and patted the space in front of her. He sat, that same look of trepidation she had seen before weaving its way into his features.

"I'm not going to ask you anything else," she stated. "I know you don't want to talk about it." But she wanted to. She desperately wanted to. _How many fucking brothers were there? Who is Ecbert? What happened to Sigurd? Why was Hvitserk shot? Why are you all hiding out? Where the fuck are your parents?_

Ivar laid his head on the pillow, staring up at the ceiling. Talia watched him, hesitant about what to do. _Leave him alone? Comfort him? Give him a blowjob?_ She wasn’t sure.

“He’s in England right now,” he said, closing his eyes.

“Who is?”

“Bjorn. I was supposed to go with him. I told them I was. But they didn’t listen. And now we’re all in this mess,” Ivar told her, sounding tired.

Talia nodded. “Is that where Ecbert is? Is he your father or something?”

Ivar scoffed, his lips twisting into a smirk. “No. He used to work with our dad.”

 _So what happened?_ She wanted to ask. Instead Talia said, “What’s your dad like?”

Ivar opened his eyes, silent for a long while before he replied. “He was clever. One of the smartest people I knew. You never really knew what he was up to until things fell into place. It was intimidating and amazing at the same time. But he was an idiot too. He got addicted to things, and wouldn’t let them go. People or drugs. Or power.”

 _Was? What happened to him?_ “And your mom?”

At that, Ivar smiled. It was the first time Talia had seen him look so joyful. “My mom was…everything,” was all he said. Her stomach flipped at the way he said that. It was obviously he loved her very much.

“So you guys are on your own now?” she asked, a well of sadness pooling in her belly. She couldn’t imagine losing her parents.

“Sort of,” he said. “My uncle Floki is around. And Bjorn still has his mom. But that’s really it. We try to stick together.”

 _Ah, so Bjorn is a half-brother_ , she surmised _._ The more Ivar told her, the more her mind formed questions she knew none of them would want to answer. She lied back down, quelling the urge to ask anything else.

“What’s your mom like?” Ivar asked suddenly. Talia’s eyebrows rose, surprised that he had finally asked something about her.

“She’s strong. Very calm and mild-mannered. But strong. She stands her ground. She loves to cook and take care of people. I’m always told I look like her, but I don’t see it really. I feel like I look more like my dad.”

“What’s he like?”

Talia smiled, amused at his inquiries. “Very outgoing. Loves to talk to people. He thinks he’s hilarious, but he’s not. He also thinks he’s a good dad, but he couldv’e done a better job.”

“Sounds like we had similar relationships with our parents,” Ivar stated.

“Pretty much,” she agreed.

A long silence settled between them, and after a while, she noticed Ivar breathing deeply. _His anger must have fizzled out,_ she observed, climbing over him carefully. She changed into pajamas, and walked to the kitchen for a glass of water. Ubbe was on the couch, staring up at the ceiling.

“What are you still doing up?” she asked, taking a seat next to him. It was close to one in the morning.

“I could ask you the same thing,” he shot back, turning his head to look at her.

She leaned on the edge of the couch and stared back at him. “Ivar and I were talking, but he fell asleep. You guys really pissed him off.”

“It doesn’t take much,” Ubbe said, sighing. “What were you guys talking about?”

“Parents,” she said, and Ubbe nodded knowingly, looking back up. “Heard your dad was pretty interesting.”

“Yeah, he was,” he replied evenly, conveying no emotion.

“And Ivar really seems to love your mom,” Talia tried again.

“They were really close,” he agreed, still giving nothing.

“You weren’t close with her?”

Ubbe bit his lip. “I remember her as beautiful, and capable. She could handle a lot, and had to. But I don’t think she loved me as much as I wanted her to. She gave a lot of attention to Ivar, which he needed. But it was too much. It was like she didn’t have enough of it to go around. Bjorn had his mom all to himself, after Gyda passed away. The four of us had to share our mom, and sometimes it felt like she wasn’t really there.”

 _Gyda. A sister?_ Talia watched him, scooting closer to him. “She did love you, Ubbe,” she whispered to him. “How could she not?”

He turned to look at her, then lowered his gaze and smiled softly. “Sorry. I’m just being ridiculous right now. We’re all on edge.”

“You’re not,” she assured him, placing her palm in his.

Ubbe looked up at her then, his gaze intense. He glanced down at her lips, then flit his eyes back to hers. “I kept trying to push Ivar to pursue you, because I thought he would like you.”

“I know,” she replied, “I heard you guys talking. Why did you think he would?”

Ubbe said nothing, only glanced at her lips again. He leaned forward and kissed her softly, his beard tickling her face. She giggled and he pulled away, smiling at her. He reached for her suddenly and pulled her into his lap, grabbing her face to kiss her again, much more deeply this time. Talia gave into the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck and settling into him.

She heard a clicking noise in front of her and looked up. Her breath caught, eyes meeting Ivar’s in the darkness.

“Go on,” he said, low and even. “Don’t let me stop you.”


	8. VIII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A good, old fashioned threesome. Sort of haha. Gives a new meaning to the term "brotherly love". Enjoy!

He circled around the couch slowly, his eyes never leaving them, and she followed him with her gaze, frozen in place.

“It’s okay,” Ubbe whispered in her ear, running a hand under her shirt. “He’ll just be over there. It’s all right. Keep going,” he urged quietly.

 “Is this, like, a fetish for you guys?” she asked, “Two brothers hooking up with the same girl, at the same time?”

“No,” Ivar responded, settling into the other couch. “But my brother told me to lighten up. So I am. Keep going,” he ordered.

A swirling tightness traveled through her body at his words and she kissed Ubbe again, grinding herself into him. She trailed her lips to the base of his neck and started to lower herself between his knees. Talia undid the button of his pants and pulled at the zipper, reaching in to spring his cock free.

He sighed when she touched him, his eyes laden with ardor. She ran her hand up and down his shaft a few times before bringing her mouth to the tip. Talia twirled her tongue around him slowly and he hissed between grit teeth. She took more of him into her mouth, twisting her hand back and forth and up and down as her head bobbed along. Ubbe groaned lightly, his breaths becoming deeper the more she kept on.

Talia moaned, and then sucked at Ubbe with the back of her tongue, causing him to roll his eyes back and push into her mouth more. She heard a groan behind her and pulled away to turn. Ivar was watching them intently, with one hand lost past his waistband. She smirked and licked her lips slowly, and he seemed to stiffen, biting his lower lip.

Talia turned to cover Ubbe’s cock with her mouth again, and she went faster. He grabbed the hair at the nape of her neck, cursing under his breath. She felt his cock twitch and she kept going, speeding up until she heard a soft _Fuck_ , and a warm, creamy liquid filled her mouth. She swallowed it all, then trailed her lips and tongue along his shaft slowly, licking the tip one last time before releasing him.

She looked up at Ubbe. He looked sleepy and satisifed, blinking softly at her. Talia started to smile at him, when suddenly she was being pulled backward. _What the fuck_? She wanted to shout, but then realized it was only Ivar, settling her in his lap.

“Okay,” he said in her ear. “Ubbe’s had his fun. I’m next.”

Talia turned slightly, a lopsided grin on her face. “Oh, is that how this works?” she taunted, grinding her ass into him. Ivar reached forward and wrapped a strong hand around her neck.

“That’s exactly how this works,” he said, pulling her flush against him. She chuckled, balancing herself on his legs with her hands.

Her gaze wandered over to Ubbe. He was sprawled on the other couch, palming himself lazily as he watched them. Ivar reached down into her pajama shorts with his other hand, running his fingers along her slick folds. She moaned quietly, her brow wrinkling, and Ubbe smiled softly, clearly enjoying the display in front of him.

Ivar nipped at her neck as he found her clit and Talia rutted into him, grinding her teeth and hips harshly. The speed and pressure of his hand grew and she couldn’t help but whine at the feeling. He laughed softly, smothering her mouth as he kept up his aggressive rubbing. She felt her body tightening, that culminating feeling, like she was zeroing in on a target, almost hitting her before Ivar pulled away suddenly, pushing her up from his lap.

Talia grunted in frustration, and she heard Ubbe laugh at her reaction. Ivar led her onto the couch, pushing her down onto her hands and knees. He pulled her bottoms and underwear down, then undid his pants; pulling his erection out, before lining up and thrusting into her. She moaned and squeezed her eyes shut at the contact. Ivar gripped her waist hard and retreated before slamming back, stretching and filling her. Talia’s arms shook but she stayed up, her walls gripping onto him tightly.

Ivar grunted at that, and pushed into her more deeply, as if to let her know that he was in charge. She grinned and pushed back into him eagerly in challenge. He grabbed a swath of her hair and pulled, hard, and she cried out softly, arching her back. Her body was taut and Ivar chuckled low in his throat, setting a brutal pace as he pumped in and out of her.

He let go of her hair and pulled out suddenly, pushing her down, then turning her over on to her back. He pulled at the clothing caught at her legs and flung it backward, then grabbed her thighs and pulled her toward him forcefully. Ivar lined up again and pushed into her, his rhythm more leisurely now, though still intense. He stared down at her as they moved together, and a spike of pleasure ran up her back. Talia trailed her right hand over her body slowly, aiming for her center, and his eyes shifted. He reached down sharply and held both of her arms in his hands, his strokes unwavering.

“No, no,” he said, his voice deep and husky. “Don’t do that.”

Talia almost laughed at the fact that he was mimicking her, but moaned instead, when he started kissing her neck. He increased his rhythm again, pounding her into the couch, and he started to go rigid over her. She almost came when he pulled out suddenly, pulling her shirt up and spraying his come over her stomach.

“Oh my god, fuck you,” she said, rolling her eyes.

“You just did,” Ivar said, catching his breath.

“No, I didn’t,” Talia insisted, “You fucking left me hanging. Twice.”

“That’s what you get for fucking Ubbe first, and not me,” he teased, looking down at her with playful eyes.

“You insisted,” she argued, suppressing a smile. “I would have fucked you first, if that’s what you really wanted.” He shrugged and smirked, lying back on the armrest.

“Well,” she heard, “you can fuck me last, too, then.” Ubbe was still stroking himself on the other couch. He was already fully erect, and waved at her to come to him. Talia rose, pulling her shirt off, and wiped Ivar’s come off of her stomach. He stood, motioning for her to get back on the couch.

“On your knees,” he instructed. “I like it that way too.” She chuckled, and did as he said. Ubbe lined himself up and pushed into her slowly, a smoldering heat already pooling where their bodies met.

Where Ivar was hard and fierce, Ubbe was languid and smooth. Ivar wretched what he wanted from her; like he was plunging his arm deep into her and pulling out her heart, and that very feeling, though harsh, was some sort of twisted ecstasy. In contrast, Ubbe gave. Talia felt him moving in and out of her, but it was precise; a pure pleasure that had her body melting.

Ubbe ran his hand up her back slowly, reaching for the clasp of her bra. He released it, pulling a strap down, and fondled at her breast. He kept moving into her as he rolled a nipple between his fingers making her wail softly. Trailing his hand to her center, he leaned forward, asking, “Is this where you wanted to be touched?" 

Talia only nodded against him, gasping when he started rubbing at her. She leaned down slowly, her face meeting the cushions beneath her. Ubbe straightened again and his other hand traveled over the curve of her ass. She felt a lazy smack before he grunted and thrust back into her, his cock curving into her in a way that hit all the right spots.

A few more strokes and she felt her walls tightening against her will. Talia bit the cushions and moaned as her body seized, Ubbe continuing to tend to her nub until she rode out her orgasm. He pulled out, slapping her ass once more, and she slumped onto the couch, breathing deeply. She turned onto her back and her gaze found Ivar’s. He stared back at her intently, a shadow of a smile on his lips.

 “Feel better now?”


	9. IX

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath

Talia woke suddenly, inhaling deeply. She squinted at the light coming in from the windows, wondering what time it was. 

She closed her eyes again, turning to lay her face flat against the pillow. She opened them again slowly and Ubbe's face filled her vision. Talia leaned back in surprise, and everything that happened the night before came rushing back.

She fucked Ivar and Ubbe. At the same time.

In the moment, it didn't seem that preposterous. She was already kissing Ubbe, and Ivar joined them, unfazed by what was happening. So Talia went along with it. But now she felt all sorts of things.

Confusion. Anxiety. Uncertainty. Desire.

She couldn't deny that she liked them both. Ivar was beautiful and volatile, but also delicate somehow. And Ubbe was just so sweet. Her heart sped up every time he gave her one his soulful looks.

Talia actually felt quite lucky. She never expected to be with any of them, let alone two brothers at the same time. It was an experience she definitely would cherish for as long as she could.

She looked back at Ubbe, watching him as he slept. Talia reached over and ran her hand along his temple slowly, the short strands of his hair soft against her fingers. He exhaled at her touch, eyelids fluttering open. She returned the immediate smile he gave, captivated by the warmth of his eyes.

He grabbed her neck and pulled her close, capturing her mouth with his. Ubbe nibbled on her lower lip, and she laughed softly, prompting him to nip her cheek, then her jaw, then her neck. Talia squirmed against him and he leaned back, admiring her.

"What?" She asked, her brow furrowing.

"I've been wanting to do that since we first got here."

"Bite at me?" She teased.

"Yes," he answered, searching her face. "Everything. All of it."

Talia chuckled lightly. "Then why were you trying to push Ivar and me together?"

"Because I knew he would like you. He couldn't see it yet, but it was there."

"Well, what about what I wanted? What about what you wanted?" She posed.

"I saw the way you looked at him. I know what you wanted. And it didn't matter what I wanted. I just know I have to look out for him. For all of my brothers.” He lowered his gaze, pursing his lips slightly. “Even though he was being an ass to you, he was doing it because he's afraid. He doesn't want to be rejected. So he treats everyone like shit, to gain the upper hand."

"Even if it means people end up hating him?"

"He already believes they do. I wanted to show him that it wasn't true, though you were pretty close to proving me wrong," Ubbe chortled.

"His act is convincing," she replied, tugging at her hair. Talia lowered her eyes, pausing before she spoke again. "But...why didn't it matter, what you wanted?"

 He stared back at her. "I'm used to not getting what I want. And it's nice to see Ivar happy, for once. I thought it would be best to do what would not hurt him."

Talia nodded slowly. "Maybe you were too busy observing him and me to realize that I was looking at you. But you did get what you wanted. And Ivar is happy. And you'll keep getting it," she told him, running her palm up and down his bare chest.

"Did you get what you wanted?" He prodded, raising his eyebrows.

"I didn't even know that was what I wanted until it was happening," she replied, sounding almost incredulous. "But I liked it. I more than liked it."

"Good," he told her, kissing her cheek. "I'm willing and able to take part in an encore. Or just do a one on one."

Ubbe trailed his lips to her neck, nipping and licking at the skin there. He covered her body with his then, pushing at her legs to open for him. Talia wrapped her arms around his neck, thoroughly enjoying the feel of him on her. He kissed her like he did when they sat on the couch - deep and long and wanting.

She broke away suddenly, giving him shy smile.

"What is it? Is something wrong?" He asked, eyes wide.

"No, I'm just...hungry," Talia told him, biting back a laugh. He smiled down at her, the corners of his eyes creasing, and kissed her nose softly, pulling himself off. She stood and walked to the bathroom to brush her teeth and splash her face with water.

Talia then tiptoed down the hall and saw Ivar lying on the couch, supine. She walked to him slowly, trying to be as quiet as possible. He had an arm thrown over his stomach and looked completely relaxed, like he had no concept of anything outside of his own mind. She started to turn for the kitchen when Ivar caught her wrist suddenly. She jumped and held back a yelp, then smacked his shoulder lightly.

"You almost gave me a heart attack," Talia scolded, trying to free herself. He grinned, his face wolfish, and tightened his grip, pulling her down on top of him. She complied and straddled his waist, resting her palms against his chest.

"That's not how I'd do it," he told her, settling his hands on her hips.

"Oh yeah? You prefer pointing a gun to someone's head instead?" She retorted.

"I prefer pointing something else," he replied, squeezing her. Talia laughed softly at his words. Ivar furrowed his brow and looked up at her, his face open. "I can make it up to you, you know."

"Make what up to me?"

"Last night. When I left you hanging," he clarified, his voice soft.

She smirked down at him. "Aw. Do you feel bad? How sweet."

Ivar's face grew serious. "No. I liked watching you come. And I wanna be the one to do that to you."

"For me," Talia corrected.

"To you," he insisted. "I'll make sure you won't be able to stand when I'm done with you."

His words sounded like a threat. But instead of feeling apprehension, a thread of arousal wound itself through her body. She blinked back at him, but Ivar held his gaze steady. Talia smiled, rubbing the skin at his collarbone.

"All right. I'll wait and see if you can live up to your word," she stated nonchalantly.

He raised one side of his mouth. "You don't believe me."

"I want to believe you," she corrected again.

"Okay. Challenge accepted. You don't know what you just got yourself into."

Talia only shrugged, climbing off of him. She walked to the kitchen and started pulling things out of the fridge and cupboards, placing them on the counter. Ivar brushed up behind her, swiping her hair aside to nibble at her ear.

"Can you help me please?" She asked, exaggerating the mock annoyance in her tone. He chuckled, but pulled away, settling next to her. Hvitserk and Ubbe joined them a while later, sitting at the table behind them. Ivar helped her finish preparing and they brought the food over, digging in.

Hvitserk stared at Ivar, a curious look etched onto his face. "You're in a good mood," he stated, as if one would say, _The end of days is near_.

Ivar glanced back at him and shrugged, hiding a grin as he took a bite of his toast.

"You're never in a good mood," he said, his tone almost accusatory.

"Talia, you should check Hvitserk's gauze after we're done eating," Ubbe suggested out of nowhere, casually sipping from his mug.

"Good idea," Ivar concurred, leaning his elbows on the surface of the table. Hvitserk shifted his gaze between his brothers, then narrowed his eyes.

"Sure. I can do that," Talia added, trying to look as perplexed as Hvitserk seemed. If they didn't want to tell him what happened yet, then she would just play along until they were ready. They cleared up the plates quickly and Talia led him down the hall, grabbing supplies from the bathroom before they settled on to the couch.

"My brothers are up to something, aren't they?" Hvitserk asked her, trying to meet her eyes.

She ignored his look and pulled the gauze back slowly, assessing the healing. "How should I know? None of you have told me anything at all. Why would they all of a sudden plan something and then clue me in on it, but not you? It doesn’t make any sense."

"You're right," he said, cursing lightly. "Then why was Ivar so happy? He's almost never like that, unless he gets..." Hvitserk trailed off, lifting his eyes to her slowly. She kept cleaning the wound, trying to play it cool.

"Something happened between you two," he stated. She glanced at him once, but said nothing, her face conveying that she didn’t have time for his nonsense. But her heart sped up. _Shit_.

"Yeah. He's been a jerk to me. That's what happened."

"Nope. Nope. That's not it," he said excitedly, tapping his fingers on the edge of the couch. "He kept looking over at you and smiling the whole time when we were eating." Hvitserk paused momentarily. "The two of you fucked, didn't you? That lucky bastard."

"We did?" Talia asked, feigning confusion.

"Yeah, you did. You so did! I only ever see him act like that when he likes someone, and Ivar doesn't like anybody."

"Maybe I'm just really charming," she posed, shrugging her shoulders as she taped clean gauze over the wound. "It's looking better. Just try not to move around too much."

"Sure, that too. But you guys fucked. You definitely fucked," he replied, convinced. Talia shrugged again, pulling the gloves off of her hands. Hvitserk leaned back and stared at her, his lips slightly parted in awe. "I can't believe he beat me to you. Man, I'm so jealous."

"Believe what you want," Talia said, standing and dumping the trash into the bin. She stifled a giggle as she left the room.


	10. X

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pure smut

She felt someone’s lips brush against her ear, murmuring softly, and startled.

They had all gathered in the living room, sipping beers and playing another game of Scrabble. Ivar hadn’t challenged her as much this time, but still they’d all lost against Hvitserk, to his glee.

"What?" Talia mumbled, turning her head. Her face pressed against Ivar’s and she felt him smile.

"Come on," he whispered to her, lifting her up. "You fell asleep on the couch."

"It was only a little nap," she said, already feeling more alert. As he carried her down the hall, she observed their surroundings. Ubbe and Hvitserk were deep in sleep on the other couch, various bottles empty on the table in front of them. Talia thought they looked cute.

"For five hours? It's past midnight already." She tried to shrug, but the action was lost as Ivar tossed her on her bed. She bounced on the mattress, her hair loose and flying in her face.

"I'm not tired anymore," Talia told him, tilting her head.

"We aren’t going to sleep," Ivar replied, crawling over her. "I owe you, remember?"

Talia scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Okay."

"You still don't believe me," he said, shaking his head as he pulled off her hoodie. “That’s a shame.” He leaned over her when he got it off and kissed her, hard and eager. She ran her hands up underneath his shirt, feeling the movement of his muscles and tried to memorize the way his skin felt under her hands. Warm and soft and just…right.

Ivar leaned back to pull his shirt off, and stared down at her the way he had the first time they'd kissed. He looked so stunning looming over her, lips swollen and dark hair falling over his brow. He crawled back over her slowly, pressing his lips along her cheek to find her mouth. He caught her lower lip with his teeth then ran his tongue across the skin to soothe the soft bite, and she darted her tongue out, trying to meet his. Ivar kept kissing at her, moving to her jaw, then the valley between her breasts, then her stomach, until he was comfortable, right between her thighs.

He tugged at the waistband of her black leggings, and Talia lifted her hips to help him guide them down. Ivar laughed when he saw her boyshorts; they had cartoon puppies printed across the mint green fabric.

"Cute," he teased, pulling them down as well.

"I know. That's why I bought them," she replied, smiling proudly. Her face then relaxed as her eyes followed him while he lowered his head and licked at her slowly, mouth warm and wet. Talia exhaled deeply, gripping the sheets underneath them. Ivar sat up slowly, seemingly pensive, then wrapped his arms around her thighs tight, pulling her to him gruffly. He dove in again, laving at her with the flat of his tongue in a way that hand her grinding her teeth together harshly.

She started to whimper and his motions only intensified; he swirled his lips and tongue like he was licking at an ice cream cone and nuzzled his face between her legs. The sounds of wet and sucking that they made were practically obscene, and Talia loved every minute of it.

Ivar did not cease. He buried his mouth into her, drinking her down like he would never have his fill. Her eyes were rolling back into her head as she started to sense an immense pressure building in her core. It hit her hard abruptly, rolling through her chest and back and traveling to her center.

Talia bit her lip, a strangled noise still resounding in her throat, and she writhed in his arms and against his lips. Ivar only kept at it, raising his eyes to meet hers. Talia started panting, shifting her hips back to escape the overwhelming sensation. She managed to twist out of his grip, and sighed, gasping in air as she retreated from him.

"Get the fuck back over here," he growled, grabbing her leg and pulling. Talia glided across the bed on her back until she saw him hovering over her again. Ivar had a primal, forceful air about him now that set off a spark of exhilaration in her. He looked down into her eyes as he undid his pants and pulled his cock free, lining up. Ivar thrusted into her slowly and she squeezed her eyes shut. Feeling him moving in and out of her was overpowering, in the best way possible.

He lifted her leg and swung it over his left shoulder, beating into her even deeper. She moaned softly at how he dragged himself along her walls, like he wanted her completely undone with every stroke. Ivar reached down, leisurely running his fingers back and forth over her clit, and Talia whined at the onslaught. She reached up senselessly, trying to grasp at whatever she could. Her nails dug into his skin and he snickered, rubbing and pumping at her even more.

Talia was thankful that the walls to her apartment were relatively thick. She was sobbing at the way he moved; she felt it everywhere, all over her body. The soles of her feet started to tingle and bright stars- green, and orange, and yellow, and white- were forming behind her eyelids.

He just kept going, twisting and stroking his hips into her. Something was spiraling inside of her, spinning tighter and tighter and tighter until it finally broke and Talia cried out, pulling hard at his loose waistband. Ivar thrust into her a few more times before he pulled his cock out and stroked himself over her. Streams of white, warm and sticky, landed over her body. He lowered her leg slowly and she remained sprawled on the bed, her chest rising and falling sharply.

Ivar stood over her, his gaze hooded and lascivious. "You're filthy," he stated, matter of fact.

"Well, that's your fault," she croaked, barely able to reply. He chuckled and grabbed his shirt, cleaning himself off of her. The bed sank in slightly as he laid his body along hers, and Ivar kissed her jaw.

"I got you this time. I told you I would," he said.

All Talia could do was close her eyes and grin.


	11. XI

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So, it's Hvitserk now. There is also, sort of, a conversation about consent, and the clarity of that. I thought it was important that that be brought up, because she is essentially sleeping with three guys while locked away in an apartment. I wanted it to be clear that she was an agent in this, and that she wasn't just going along with this, and that she was very much aware of her say in the situation.

"Hi, ma."

Talia sat in front of her computer, staring at a slightly grainy image of her mother. They hadn't spoken in almost two and a half weeks, the time prolonged because of her indefinite guests. She kept looking up from the screen, making sure they stayed out of the camera's range.

"What's up?" Her mom asked causally, adjusting her glasses on the bridge of her nose.

"Nothing really. I took vacation this week. I needed to."

"Good," her mother replied. "Don't let them overwork you. You're not a robot," she told her daughter, using her native tongue. All three brothers had been hovering in her vicinity, and stopped moving when they heard that. Ubbe looked at her like she was some shiny new thing he had come across. Ivar had a single eyebrow raised, a ghost of a smile playing on his lips. Hvitserk simply looked impressed.

"Yes, I know, ma," she replied in their tongue, ignoring the brothers' reactions. It felt a little like payback and felt good, keeping them out of something while they were right in front of her.

"I tried to call you yesterday and it went straight to voicemail. I needed help with this document," her mom said.

"Uh yeah, my phone has been acting weird," she responded, staring at Ivar. He smirked, assuming that whatever she had said was about him.

"Oh okay. Guess what? I made that lasagna for everyone at work, and they loved it."

"Oh yeah? Did you save some for me?" Talia asked, a small smile on her face.

"They ate it all. Sorry!" Her mom replied.

"Aw, ma, you know I always ask you to leave some aside for me," Talia whined. She looked up and caught Ubbe watching her, his eyes wide and captivated. He started moving toward her, and she shook her head, silently telling him to stay put.

"Is there someone there with you? Am I keeping you from something?" Her mother inquired.

Talia looked back down at the screen. "No, ma, sorry. I was just thinking about a work thing I forgot to do," she replied in English. Ubbe stopped right behind the screen, leaning to the side to catch a glimpse of her mom without being seen. His brothers crept up and did the same, their faces curious and devious.

"Oh okay. It's Aunt Zara's birthday today."

"Oh, right. Cool, I'll send her a message," Talia said, watching them watch the screen. "I was just talking to Klau the other day actually." Klaudia was her cousin, Zara's daughter. They were practically siblings, they were so close.

"When is she going to graduate, tell me please?" Her mother begged. She was always hard on Klaudia, since she was her godmother.

"It's her life, ma. She knows what she is doing."

"Hm," her mom responded haughtily. "Okay, I have to go. I have an appointment soon. I will talk to you later."

"Okay. Bye, ma." She said, and clicked off.

"Don't you tell your mother you love her when you say goodbye?" Ivar asked.

"We're not that kind of family," Talia told him, closing her laptop.

"What do you mean?"

"We show our love in different ways. When my mother asks me if I have eaten, that is how she says she loves me. When she comes over with food and supplies, that is her _I love you_. When I help her with things she does not understand, that is my _I love you_."

Ivar nodded, looking thoughtful.

"Your mother is very beautiful," Ubbe said to her.

"Yes, she is," Talia replied, nodding.

He stared back at her. "You look like her, very much." She only rolled her eyes, smiling sheepishly.

"I didn't know you spoke another language. What else don't we know about you?" Hvitserk asked, looking her up and down as he lip curved upward.

"Lots of things. Just like I don't know anything about you all, like where you're from, or your last names, or why you were shot. We're on an even playing field, don't you think?" She replied, cocking an eyebrow. Hvitserk looked up and squinted, like he was contemplating what she was saying, then nodded in agreement.

Talia glanced at all of them, biting her lip before speaking. "I need to step outside," she burst suddenly.

"Why?" Ivar immediately asked, inching closer to her.

"I just need fresh air. We've been locked up in here for almost a week. I've barely seen anyone," she told him, her eyes pleading. "I just need five minutes."

Ubbe watched her, his blue eyes concerned. "Let her go."

"Five minutes. I promise. I'll jut be on the steps, I won't go anywhere." Ivar gave her a hard stare, but then nodded reluctantly. Talia unlocked the front door and slid through quietly, making her way to the stoop. She sat and released a breath, watching people walk by, heard chirping in the distance. She breathed in deeply, relishing the crisp air.

All three brothers had consumed her time completely, and she'd momentarily forgotten her life outside of the brownstone. In a way, it was nice. They gave her so much attention, and she did not mind it at all. But she still didn't know much about them, and that was starting to worry her. _What will happen when they leave? Will I ever see them again? Do I want to? Will they remember me?_

Talia rubbed her temple as she stood slowly, glancing back once more before entering into the apartment. Ubbe waited for her at the door, framing her face with his hands gently. "Are you okay?"

Talia looked at him, then closed her eyes and nodded, giving a reassuring smile. He kissed her softly, then pulled back, his eyes searching hers.

"I'm good," she affirmed, telling the truth this time. Ubbe kissed her once more, a small peck, before releasing her.

"Hvitserk was saying that he was feeling pain again. I only got supplies to treat his wound, there was no way I could get him a prescription for something," he informed her.

"Really? Shit, I ran out of pills," Talia said, sucking on her lower lip. "And I don't even have anything light, like ibuprofen or acetaminophen. But..."

"But?" He urged, tilting his head at her.

"I could roll him a joint. It would help with the pain, maybe," she suggested.

Ubbe shrugged. "Why not?"

They found Ivar and Hvitserk down the hall, spread across the couches. Hvitserk did look like he was in a bit of pain, now that the last of the pills had worn off. Talia checked the gauze and it was clean still. She was thankful it had not worsened or gotten infected while he was here. She went to the living room and grabbed the small chest off of the table, bringing it back him.

She sat on the couch, laying everything out carefully. There was enough left for two joints, so she lit one for Hvitserk, and gave the other one to Ubbe.

"This is nice," Hvitserk said as he exhaled, already looking more relaxed. He passed her the joint and she took a small puff, wanting him to have most of it. Hvitserk sucked on it, and she watched as Ivar and Ubbe shared the other one. Her nerves were calmed and she sat back, her concentration completely taken over by a mark in the hardwood floor.

"Did you enjoy it?" Talia heard in her ear, and looked up slowly to find Hvitserk now right next to her, staring intently.

"Enjoy what?" She asked, her mouth tingling oddly. Her whole face was tingling really. Talia pursed her lips, but the feeling only grew, and she wanted to laugh out loud.

"Last night," he stated knowingly. "From what I heard, it sounded like you were having a really good time."

She smiled slowly. "You were asleep. How could you have heard anything? You didn't hear anything," she insisted.

"Oh, no. I heard everything," he assured, grabbing her chin to brush his thumb lightly over her lower lip. "Those sounds you made. All those moans..." he sucked in his bottom lip, shaking his head at her. "I would definitely like to hear them again. And I would like to make sure I was the reason for them."

"Just go to sleep then," Talia reasoned. "It seems like your brain was giving you some pretty vivid dreams."

"Or I could just do this," he said, and pressed his mouth against hers. His lips were eager and almost demanding. She felt like she had to keep up with him, like he was holding her hand and leading her somewhere exciting, and he just couldn’t wait to get there.

Talia pulled away slowly, blinking a few times, as Hvitserk kept nibbling at her. She looked across the room at Ubbe and Ivar. They were watching closely, almost conspiratorially, and were totally at ease.

"She doesn't seem to mind. It's her choice, in the end," Talia heard Ubbe comment.

"No, she doesn't. And it was only a matter of time before Hvitserk made a move," Ivar said, sounding amused.

 _My choice?_ She thought to herself. _Of course it's my choice._ She turned back to Hvitserk and kissed him again, running her fingers over the shaved sides of his head. He gripped at her waist, then ran his palm up into her henley to feel at her skin. He leaned over her, laying her back onto the couch and started kissing her neck while he unbuttoned her jeans. Hvitserk was moving so quickly she wasn't sure what was really happening. All she knew was that it felt good, and she didn't want it to stop.

Talia turned her head to Ubbe and Ivar again as Hvitserk pulled her jeans off, and they were still watching. Ivar exhaled through his nose, the smoke curling around his face, and grinned lazily at her. Ubbe smiled warmly, his eyes half closed. She felt Hvitserk kissing her stomach, and she giggled, his lips soft and warm on her skin.

"How are you all okay with this?" She wondered, and realized she had spoken out loud.

"You're happy. My brothers are happy. I am happy. What is there to be upset about?" Ubbe posed, tilting his head.

"And we're used to having to share certain things, anyway," Ivar said nonchalantly.

"Yeah, but....people?"

He shrugged, shaking his head. "Like Ubbe said, we're happy. Are you not enjoying yourself? You like it, right?"

Talia paused, Hvitserk still roaming all over her, then nodded. Because she did. She really, really did.

"So what's the issue again?" Ivar asked, his tone confused and dismissive. Hvitserk latched his lips between her legs suddenly and she moaned, grinding into him. He laughed as he mouthed at her, the sound reverberating deep in his chest, and the vibrations only made Talia cry out more.

"Yeah, that's good. Just like that," he encouraged, before lapping at her again deeply. She ran her fingers through his hair and arched her back, moving herself languidly against him. Talia felt him glide a finger into her, then another quickly, and she starting panting, more moans escaping from her every now and then. He kept going and going, quicker and quicker, and before she knew it she was pulling at his hair, sobbing at how quickly and intensely he made her come. Hvitserk pulled away to wipe at his mouth, and grinned.

He crawled over her, hands on either side of her head, and leaned into her ear. "You sounded even better than last night," he whispered.


	12. XII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It all starts to make sense now

Talia felt Hvitserk jerk against her abruptly, then jump up and leave the room. 

They'd fallen asleep on the couch, both half naked and sweating. Ivar and Ubbe had left them alone eventually. Careful not to disturb his side, she and Hvitserk continued to explore one another, urging orgasm after orgasm from their bodies.

Every time she was with one of them, for some reason she expected it would feel the same. But it didn't, and she was glad for that. She loved how being with Hvitserk was like riding a rollercoaster, just thrills and adrenaline coursing through her. Ubbe was soft and safe, like being wrapped in the warmest, coziest blanket. And Ivar was all intensity; all fire and blitz.

Now it was early morning. Talia sat up, gathering her clothes groggily. She heard shouting in the living room, and paused, alarmed. She tried to hear what was happening, but then dressed faster, rushing outside.

Ubbe and Hvitserk had their backs turned to her. She shoved past them and saw an older man, dressed in blue coveralls. Ivar held him against the wall, choking him with his forearm. He bared his teeth as muscles and veins bulged in his arms.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" He asked the man menacingly.

"Ivar!" Ubbe shouted, his brows knit together.

Talia approached slowly, raising her palms. She ran her hands along his arms, urging him to release the man.

"Ivar," she soothed, "he's just the exterminator. See his uniform? He comes here every month. He's only doing his job. Nothing to worry about." Ivar exhaled sharply then turned to look at her. He stared for a minute, then released the man, shoving him roughly. 

"I am so, so sorry," she whispered, helping him away from Ivar. "He got into it with some people a few days ago, and he's been a bit on edge lately. Here, let me get you some water."

She led him to the kitchen and sat him at the table, pouring a glass. "Are you sure you're okay?"

He nodded slowly. "I'm sort of used to it, living in a city. People get paranoid."

"That's no excuse. Honestly, I am so sorry he did that. I wish I would have been awake to let you in. I am so embarrassed." The man gave her a small smile, saying it was not a big deal, as he rubbed his neck.

"He's a pretty strong kid though," he chuckled.

 "Yeah. Sometimes he isn't aware of what he's capable of," Talia said and turned away from him, silently fuming. _What the hell was he thinking, attacking someone like that?_

She needed answers. Now.

After she walked the man to the door, apologizing profusely, she turned, charging down the hall. Talia barged inside the room, zeroing in on Ubbe.

"You," she pointed. "Come. Now."

"Talia-"

"Now," she repeated, the words escaping between grit teeth. Ubbe sighed and stood reluctantly, walking to the other room. "I'll deal with you later," she said to Ivar, features ugly and angry, before slamming the door shut.

"Talia-" Ubbe tried again turning to face her.

"No. I talk now. You listen," she told him, shoving him down on the bed. "I have refrained from asking questions. I let you all stay here, with no explanations. I took care of Hvitserk, without pressing about why the hell he was shot. It is obvious that you all are involved in some fucked up shit, and that's fine! But you don't get to come into my life and start affecting people like this. You can't just hide away here and fuck me silly and act like we don't know anything about one another. I am not a toy for you all to have fun with. You all can't just barge in and start hurting people. You promised me, Ubbe. You promised."

"I know," he said, hanging his head. "I know."

"Who are you?" Talia demanded. "Where are you from? What's going on? Tell me what's happening."

Ubbe looked up at her slowly, his blue eyes full of remorse. Talia shook her head at him, her own eyes pleading.

"Nothing? You're just gonna keep on keeping me in the dark?"

"I want to tell you everything," Ubbe burst, squeezing his hands into fists. "Don't you think I want to? But you made me promise not to ruin your life. If I tell you... that's the first step. You can't go back from that."

"Do not do that to me," she said, scoffing and narrowing her eyes. "Don't make it seem like you're being tormented by keeping secrets from me and that I'm the one who's put you in that position. That is not what's happening here. You're the one who didn't want to tell me anything, and I didn't push. I went along with this, without knowing a single damn thing. I respected your boundaries. You're not respecting mine anymore. I deserve to know something at least."

He stared back at her, for a long time. Talia saw a myriad of emotions pass through his eyes. Shame. Anger. Fear. Longing. She almost gave up, almost told him to pack his shit and fuck off, and never come back into her life, before he finally responded.

"Ragnarsson," he told her, barely above a whisper.

"What?"

"Ragnarsson," he repeated, clearing his throat. "That is our family name. That will tell you what you want to know about us."

Talia furrowed her brow, incredulous. _Really? That's all he's gonna give me?_

She sighed, suddenly feeling exhausted. She couldn't even try to make sense of that. "I need to be alone," she told him, pushing him off of the bed.

"What? No, Talia, please I-"

"Ubbe!" She shouted, making the exasperation clear in her voice. "Please."

He flexed his jaw, then got up without another word. She could still feel the tension in the air after he shut the door.

Talia lied on the bed, her head throbbing. She felt so confused. _Why did they come into my life? Why did I let them? Why did I help them? Why did I let them stay?_

She drifted in and out of sleep, her mind clouded. When she opened her eyes again, she remembered what Ubbe had told her. _Ragnarsson_. 

Talia sat up, immediately alert, and pulled her computer onto her lap. She clicked open a window and typed _Ubbe Ragnarsson_ into a search engine. She saw pictures of an older Ubbe, dressed in dark tailored business suits, and her brow wrinkled. _That's not him_ , she told herself, her mind trying to make sense of what she was seeing. Her eyes flit over the article titles, only half of them in English.

_Ragnar Lothbrok, CEO of Kattegat, Inc., Signs Merger with Wessex Industries_ , she read, after the translation.

_Ragnar Lothbrok and Wife, Aslaug, Present at Benefit Honoring Those Lost in Paris Attack_

_Bjorn Ragnarsson, son of Ragnar Lothbrok and First Wife, Lagertha, Owner of The Ingstad Company, Opens Luxury Hotel on Mediterranean Coast_

_Ivar Ragnarsson, Youngest Son of Businessman Ragnar Lothbrok and Lady Aslaug, Accepted into Three Prestigious American Universities_

Talia's eyes were wide. They were fucking loaded. They were the elite of the elite. Her breathing deepend. She couldn't believe what she was reading.

_CEO of Kattegat, Inc., Affectionately Known as Ragnar Lothbrok, Found Murdered in Cold Blood_

_Aslaug Sigurdsdottir, Heiress and Socialite, Killed Only Days After Husband Found Dead_

_Bjorn and Ubbe Ragnarsson Seen Together in Mallorca, After Father's Brutal Death_

_Kattegat Inc. Acquired by British Company, Wessex Industries_

Talia still felt confused. _What were they doing here then?_ _Why did they look like criminals when I first met them, if they were actually rich and clearly important? Why had their parents suddenly been murdered? Were they involved somehow?_

She was afraid for the first time since they'd gotten here. She didn't know what was going on, and now wasn't sure what they were capable of. Would they hurt her, if she didn't do what they wanted?

Talia shuddered as she rose from her bed. It was already dark outside, and quiet in the rest of the apartment. She opened the door, and walked down the hall, all three brothers in the living room. Ivar sat on one couch, sulking with his arms crossed. Hvitserk was on the other, deep in thought while munching on a sandwich. Ubbe paced back and forth, scratching his beard. He looked up when she entered and walked to her, his eyes desperate.

"I'm sorry," he told her, putting his hands on her shoulders. She tried not to jump when he touched her.

"Why are you all really here?" Talia asked, her gaze roaming among the three.

Ubbe sighed, and closed his eyes, as if resigned. "Our parents died a couple of months ago," he began.

"We shouldn't involve her in this. It's not a good idea, she could get hurt," Ivar interjected.

"You know what else isn't a good idea, Ivar? Attacking people randomly in my apartment. So you're one to talk. Let your brother finish," she shot back. He made a face at her, but didn't respond, lying back into the couch.

"They were killed, and we know who did it. At least, we know who killed our father," Ubbe continued.

"Who?" Talia prodded. She reached up; couldn't help touching him, despite the apprehension worming itself in her belly.

"Ecbert," Ivar replied, and she recalled the name. The man who worked with their father. The one Bjorn had found in England.

"He had made a deal with my father, a long time ago, probably before we were born but we're not sure. He went back on the deal, for some reason, and Ragnar didn't say anything, for years. He let it be."

"We still don't know why he betrayed him. Ecbert would always say he was his friend. He said he loved our father. But Ragnar didn't trust him. He didn't say it out loud, but we all knew," Hvitserk added.

"Ecbert eventually worked with another partner, Aelle. He really hated our father, and didn't hide it. Said he was no good, a commoner, because Ragnar wasn't born into wealth like the rest of them, and 'didn't follow the rules'. Ecbert and Aelle teamed up, and ordered our father's death, quietly. But it was really all Ecbert though. He got Aelle to do the dirty work I'm sure, but he's the only one smart enough to have our father killed without anyone knowing who actually did it," Ubbe told her.

Talia let it all sink in. It all made sense now, finally, but still did not explain why they had shown up and staked out in her apartment. "So if Aelle and Ecbert are in England, what are you all doing here?"

Ubbe paused before he answered her. "Aelle has headquarters in this region, and we know he is in the country."

She sensed that he wanted to say more, but didn't. Talia looked at each of them, raising her brow in inquiry. 

"We're going to kill him," Ivar said simply, shrugging.


	13. XIII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lots of stuff happens. Mentions of Sigurd. Sex. Loss. You know the drill.

She laughed. She couldn't stop laughing.

Talia remembered in college, how sometimes she and her friends would interact with the wealthier students, mostly not out of choice. They all found it amusing; how they lived, how they saw the world. It was like they were from another planet entirely.

That's why she couldn't stop laughing now. _Kill Aelle?_ She wasn't sure who this Aelle was, but it didn't matter. They had to be kidding; some kind of rich boy prank that she didn’t understand. Because they couldn't very well _kill someone_.

Yet, all three brothers stared back at her, then at one another, confusion pulling at their brows.

"That was good. That was a good one, that was funny," Talia stated between gulps of air. The three looked back at her without a word, and the smile faded slowly from her lips.

“You’re kidding right?” she insisted, “You can’t actually be serious.”

"I don't joke around very often, and I'm not about to start now," Ivar replied.

"You can't do this," she replied immediately, looking among them. They kept staring back silently. "You can't do this!"

"That's not for you to decide," Hvitserk told her, looking as solemn as Talia had ever seen him.

"It's not your choice either!" she answered, her face increduous. "You can't just kill someone, that’s insane!"

"Who's choice was it to kill our parents? Who's choice was it to leave us alone? It definitely wasn't ours. We didn't start anything of this, Talia. But don't expect us to sit back and not finish it. Don't be naive," Ubbe stood, looming over her.

"Don't you condescend to me, Ubbe," she spat, placing a hand on his chest and pushing back slowly. "There's a difference between justice and revenge, and you all," Talia pointed among the three of them, "are blurring the fucking line, real hard. It won't end with your payback. I know you know that. You have to know that."

"So what do you suggest we do then?" Ivar asked, his face conveying he wouldn't actually consider any advice she gave.

Talia sighed loudly, looking up at the ceiling in desperation. They weren't going to listen to her. They already knew what they were going to do. And worse, she felt oddly guilty for trying to convince them of anything else. Their parents had been murdered. How dare she try to assuage their feelings?

But feelings were not actions. _And they don’t’ have to act on this_ , she thought.

"Fine," she huffed. "I did my moral duty. I told you all this was wrong. Whatever happens after this is out of my hands. It's for you to deal with."

Talia turned and walked to the bedroom, not bothering to look at any of them. She lied on her bed, willing her eyes not to shed any tears. Their voices spilled into the room, but she didn't bother trying to listen. A dullness spread over her body, and she simply resigned herself to the feeling.

* * *

 

A while later she woke, a warmth at her back. Talia turned her head and found Ubbe, his arms and legs thrown over her side. She dropped her head back onto the mattress, rousing him abruptly.

He nuzzled his face into her neck. "I'm sorry," he whispered, his lips brushing softly against her skin.

"For what?" She asked, not really interested in hearing his answer.

"For dragging you into this."

"Me knowing about this isn't going to change what you all are about to do," Talia said, turning to face him. "You can't come back from that, Ubbe. You can't come back to who you are once you've killed someone. Please,” she pleaded, “just think about this."

He stared back at her for a long time. "Talia, even if we didn't kill Aelle," he began, "I still wouldn't be the same person. None of us would be. My parents are gone. Sigurd is gone. Losing people like that....that changes you."

Talia mulled over his words. _Will I change, once they all leave?_ She was so desperate to have them gone, when they'd first gotten here. Now it seemed like they had always been here with her. That one of them was always lying across one of her couches. That Hvitserk was emptying her fridge. That Ivar always used her lemon soap. That Ubbe always gave her a kiss, every day.

She reached for his hand. "What happened to Sigurd?"

Ubbe sighed, and flopped onto his back, his fingers still holding hers. His eyes were suddenly filled with sorrow. "He was shot, like Hvitserk. But he didn't make it. He couldn’t have. We were running and then I turned around and he was on the ground, and there was blood all over him. Hvitserk went back to try and save him and that's how he got hurt. But we had to leave him there. We had to just leave our brother behind." He sniffed, then clenched his jaw. “I felt so ashamed.”

She scooted closer to him, laying her head on his chest. "What was he like?"

"He was funny. Always had something to say. And he loved to play music. Ivar is the smart one, but Sigurd had a gift. Real talent. He could pick up any instrument, so easily. We used to say that he would be famous. But I guess that doesn't matter now..."

Talia looked up at him. His lids were closed and his eyebrows knit together, as if he were having a bad dream. She leaned forward and met her lips to his, briefly. A ghost kiss. Ubbe opened his eyes and smiled softly, his features caught somewhere between anguish and delight.

She sat up slowly and straddled him, and he ran his palms up her bare thighs.

"I'm sorry," she told him, her eyes never leaving his.

"For what?"

"For everything," Talia said somberly, shaking her head. Ubbe sat up and kissed her, hugging her body to his tightly. He then pulled away suddenly, but kept his face close. She felt that he was trying to tell her something, convey some sort of silent message. Talia raised her eyebrows, urging him on, but he only stared back intently and kissed her again.

Ubbe ran his hands under her shirt, trailing his fingers over her skin lightly. "I think I lied," he said, the pace of his breathing increasing.

"What do you mean?" She asked him, nibbling at his ear.

"I didn't want you to get hurt. I always meant that. But I'm glad I met you. I'm glad we ended up here," he responded.

Talia paused and straightened. "I've been thinking about that too. Wondering why this all happened."

Ubbe looked back at her in the dimness. "And?"

"And I wonder what it was like before you were all here. I can't seem to remember it very well. It hasn't even been that long. But I think I’m okay with that."

He smiled, then reached for the hem of her shirt, pulling it upward. Her hair was wild when he got it off and Ubbe laughed, mussing it even more. Talia grinned and hugged him, fake biting his neck. He was still laughing as she tugged at his thermal and remembered again how much she loved the sound.

Talia stood quickly to tug off her shorts and he lied back, pulling off his jeans as well. He tugged at her arm to pull her onto his lap and kissed her again, framing her face with his large hands. She reached behind her back to unclasp her bra, and threw it to the side. Ubbe moved his mouth downward, burying his face into her chest.

Talia gasped and pulled his hair as he mouthed at her nipples. His lips were warm and soft against her, and she ground her hips into his slowly. Her entire body felt electric, like tiny little sparks were going off on the surface of her skin. Ubbe was breathing deeply, and every time he exhaled, she felt a light coolness where his tongue had been, making her shiver.

She stood again and pulled her underwear off hastily, staring back at him expectantly. He grinned, and Talia leaned forward, hooking her fingers into the waistband of his boxer briefs. She tugged impatiently, and he chuckled, helping her remove them. She palmed his cock, stroking him softly at first, then with more confidence; smiling when she heard him moan softly. Her hand rose up the shaft and she swiped her thumb over his tip firmly, his eyes falling closed at that. Talia kept at it, gripping him with a steady rhythm, until she couldn’t wait any longer.

“Okay, I have to get on top of you,” she whispered, standing.

“Where are you going?” Ubbe asked, confused.

“To get a condom. I’m tired of you three coming on me. I got some shit in my eye last time.”

“Really? I’m so-”

“Ubbe, stop. I was kidding,” she teased, and he looked surprised then smiled back at her sheepishly. “I’ve just been risking it, and we should be more careful.” He nodded, taking the package from her. Talia watched as he rolled it on carefully, and she bit her lip impatiently. As soon as it was on, she pushed him back onto the bed, walking on her knees over him. She grabbed his cock, sinking onto him slowly, savoring the feeling of him sliding inside of her. Ubbe hissed as she lowered herself and grabbed at her hips greedily, digging his fingers into her skin.

He stared up at her, his lip curling as he ground his teeth together. She rose again and slammed back down, eliciting something that sounded like a hybrid of a moan and a grunt from him. She did it over and over again- rose slowly, then lowered herself hard and fast- and Ubbe squeezed his eyes shut, biting his lips and clutching at her so hard she thought he would break her. But she loved it. In that moment, she didn’t care if she shattered, as long as he was the one breaking her.

Suddenly, Ubbe sat up, clasping the back of her neck. Talia stilled and stared at him. He thrust into her a few times, pushing her body down onto him. She smirked, then pushed him back down onto the bed, placing her palms flat on his chest. She arched her back and wound her hips, up and down and around and around. Talia kept him down, trying to fuck everything out of him until there was nothing left; until he felt nothing but goodness and bliss.

She kept going, moving faster and faster, and Ubbe grasped her again, his fingers hard and stiff on her. Talia rode him and didn’t stop until the muscles in his stomach flexed and his body contracted and the most alluring sound came from him, from deep in his chest. It was better than his laugh. It was heavy and supplicating and Talia wanted to capture the sound in a jar; hold it to her ear and listen to it over and over again until it was the only thing she could sense.

Her body seized a few moments afterward, but it was nothing compared to what she had heard from him. Talia leaned over him and kissed him deeply. She ran her hands all over him, kept tasting his mouth even after she climbed off of him. Their limbs somehow became entwined and they just kept kissing, slick and hot with sweat. Everything seemed blurry then, but her last thought was that she didn’t want it to end. That she didn’t want any of them to leave anymore.

 

* * *

 

“Hurry,” Talia heard, and she lifted her head, instantly awake.

Ivar was in the room, dressed in dark clothing, his hood pulled over his head. Seeing him like that made her stomach drop.

“What’s going on?” she asked. Ubbe turned, also fully dressed. They faced her, their features serious. She climbed out of bed and pulled on whatever she could find lying around. “What happened?”

Ubbe approached her, framing her face. “We have to go now,” was all he told her.

“No,” she said shaking her head. “No. You don’t have to go. You can stay,” Talia said, looking back up at him. She covered his hands with her own, and shifted her eyes to Ivar. He stared back at her, his brow slightly furrowed. “You can stay,” she insisted.

“Bjorn called for us. We have to go,” Ivar echoed sternly, walking out of the room.

Talia looked at Ubbe, her eyes wide and desperate. “Please,” she said. “Stay. Stay.”

Ubbe closed his eyes and then kissed her, but Talia couldn’t taste him at all. The only thing her tongue could savor was salt. “It won’t be forever,” he told her.

She followed him to the living room, gripping his sleeve. Ivar and Hvitserk were packing silently in the dark. “You don’t have to go,” she told them again, her voice breaking.

“Aw,” Hvitserk cooed, walking to her. “Are you gonna miss us?”

”It’s not funny,” she replied, sniffling.

He pulled her to him by her waist, and kissed her. “This won’t be the last time I hear you moan like that,” he whispered to her. He turned, and Talia walked behind him, lifting her arm to pull him back, to keep him from going past the front door and leaving her.

She felt someone grab her shoulder and turn her roughly. She looked up and saw Ivar looming over her, looking very much like he did the first time she met him – dangerous and intimidating and intriguing.

“Don’t follow us,” he said simply, before closing the small gap between them. He kissed her as well, hard and eager as he always did. He grabbed his bag and followed his brother, blending into the night. Talia watched them, walking farther and farther away, and she suppressed a sob.

Ubbe grabbed her hand suddenly, bringing it to his lips. “We’ll find you again. I promise. I keep my promises remember? We didn’t ruin your life. And we’ll come back. We will,” he smiled at her softly.

“You don’t have to do this. You don’t have to leave! Please!” she pleaded, tears flowing freely now. She held on to his jacket, crying into his chest.

“Talia,” Ubbe said, stroking her head. “Can you wait for us? We’ll be back. I promise,” he said again, pulling her hands from him.

She looked up at him and scrunched her face, felt nothing but defeat as she cried. He kissed her, one last time, then slid past the door, leaving her alone.


	14. XIV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Talia is alone, and dealing with some shit.

Everything seemed grey.

Things didn't actually change much, after they left. She really thought they would, that something would be shifted and off. But everything just was grey. And normal.

Talia wasn't really one to get hung up on people. It was obvious to her from an early age, that she had few attachments. She loved her family of course, and had a handful of friends who very dear to her. But she was cordial with most people, and preferred deeper relationships that most did not want to take the time to cultivate. It suited her just fine.

In her youth, when fellow classmates would gossip and giggle over boys, Talia would listen and observe, but was never really interested. No one truly moved her. She liked a few people here and there, dated some. But it was never anything serious. She rarely sensed any desire for commitment, so gave none in return.

This felt different. Talia couldn't say she really loved the three of them, of course. Not yet anyway. She was just starting to get to know them. But it felt like they had been ripped away from her. Like she didn't have a chance or a choice. Ubbe told her they would come back, asked her to wait. _But will they? Will I ever see them again?_

That day they left her, she lied in bed and spent hours refreshing her browser. Talia searched _Aelle death_ , _Aelle murder_ , _Aelle killed_ , and of course just _Ragnarsson_. The only things that came up were the old articles she’d seen before and a few unread links about Aelle; his devout, aristocratic family, and his business deals with Ecbert.

It became an obsession. At work, she constantly grazed her thumb over her phone screen, not even bothering to concentrate on the reports she had to type up. As soon as she got home, she would open her laptop and search. Even when she tried to distract herself, her thoughts would only drift back to them. Talia wondered how Hvitserk was fairing, if his wound was healing. She missed kissing Ubbe, and looking into his blue eyes. She would think of Ivar and his mocking grin, and it would only make her own lips tug into a smile.

Two weeks after they left, it finally came up. It was early morning, and she was scrolling through her phone, awake before her alarm. Her eyes skimmed over a link, and she did a double take, sitting up abruptly.

_Head of The Northumbria Corporation Shot to Death in Estate_

She read the title over and over again, feeling dizzy. They went through with it. They killed Aelle.

Talia clicked on the link and read the article. He was found in his room, by one of the maids. She thought he had been sleeping, but when she approached, his chest was ridden with holes, the bed soaked in blood.

She cried. Talia was unmoving, staring at nothing in front of her, but tears slid down her cheeks. They were alive perhaps, but she couldn't even assume that. She wasn't sure what she was allowed to feel. Anger? Despair? Relief? _Can I get a deal on all three?_ She joked to herself morbidly, and rose numbly to shower for work.

* * *

 

A few days later, a small package arrived. It was a simple white envelope, slightly larger than her hand, with only her name and address on it in black print. She stared at it as she walked into her apartment, trying to remember if she had ordered anything. Talia tore it open with her teeth as she locked the door, and a black velvet box dropped onto the floor. She got onto her hands and knees to retrieve it from here it slid under the couch, blowing on it to rid the dust it collected on its surface.

She opened it carefully to find a delicate golden necklace with an ornate hummingbird charm hanging from it. Talia gasped, taken aback by how beautiful it was. She set it down carefully and found the padded envelope again to see if there was anything else inside.

She grinned when a white piece of paper fell out. She opened it eagerly to find what she assumed to be Ubbe's handwrting; angular and surprisingly neat.

_Talia,_

_I'm sure you won't be too happy to hear this, but we all talked about it, and we think it would be best to not find you again. I know I promised you, but we've already put you in enough danger. I said I keep my promises, but keeping you alive is more important, even if it means not seeing you. Maybe ever again._

_But I miss you. I think about you everyday. I try to remember how you taste all the time, and it's starting to fade from my mind. My brothers and I agreed to stay away from you, but it takes everything within me not to go to you. I miss you. I miss you so much._

_Ubbe_

Talia read the letter over and over again. _I miss you. I miss you so much_. She lost herself in his words, and wasn't even sure how much time had passed since she'd gotten home. She thought feeling sadness was an appropriate response to what he'd written her. Maybe anger, at their decision, and for not including her in the choice. But finally hearing from him was practically euphoric. She folded the paper and kissed it, wiling herself not to cry again.

Days after that, another package arrived, this one in a much larger box, flat and silver. She opened it, pulling back the layers of tissue, and found what was clearly very expensive lingerie. The bra and panties were sapphire blue, with lace and mesh and satin and straps she couldn't make sense of. The small card inside only said, _Wear this, and think of my mouth on you_. She shook her head, lips twisting into a smile. _Hvitserk. Of course he would send me something like this._

Talia took the set out to try it on. She had never bought lingerie in her life, but it was actually comfortable, once she figured out how to put it on. Glancing at the full-length mirror, she burst into laughter. Everything was on display, yet she had to admit that it fit well. How he knew her sizes was definitely something she'd have to ask, but then remembered that she might not ever get the chance.

Then another delivery came about three weeks later, this one the heaviest. She opened the box and pulled out a frame. There was a message, in tiny writing, in the right lower corner of the canvas. Leaning forward and squinting, Talia only saw the words, _How I see you_. She leaned back, perplexed, and turned the frame.

Her eyes widened. It was her. It was an oil painting of her, the details precise and exquisite. The mole on her upper lip was present, as well as the hazel flecks in her pupils that most simply mistook for brown. The painter captured all of her piercings, and even included the slight scar she had on her left eyebrow, which made them always look uneven. She brought the canvas to her face, to check that it was really a painting, and not just a print. The brushstrokes were fine and smooth, but they were there.

There were no words to describe what she was seeing. Talia stared back at her own visage, feeling a bit conceited. She had just never seen herself the way she was captured in the painting, and couldn't tear her eyes away, couldn't believe this was how Ivar had described her.

They kept sending her things: bouquets of beautiful, exotic flowers. Pricey art supplies. A green sweater made from the softest material she had ever felt. A flash drive, full of music. Artisanal desserts and candies. A vibrator.

The gifts didn't have notes anymore, but she knew exactly who sent what. Talia loved it every time something was delivered; not because she expected to be spoiled, but because it was her only true contact with any of them. She was desperate to see them, hear their voices. She wanted to write or call, but had no way to reach out. Even her stalking on Facebook and Instagram and Snapchat was fruitless.

One night, after the delivery person had dropped off a special, limited edition Scrabble, Talia contemplated reaching out to someone at their father's old company. _They must still have some ties to it, right? Even if their dad is dead?_ But then she remembered that Ecbert had taken over. It seemed too risky to try to find them that way.

 _Bjorn!_  She remembered reading that he owned a hotel in Spain. Talia was sure that he wouldn't actually be there, that would be too easy. But she could maybe pretend to be an unsatisfied guest, and demand to speak to no one but the owner. It was a ridiculous plan, but it was _something_ , and she was desperate to contact one of them. She grabbed her laptop and looked up the name of the place, writing down the information so that she could make the call.

Talia walked to the living room, grabbing her phone off of the table to dial. Her hands were shaking, and she really hoped they would not be able to hear through her lie. She stared at the screen, the only glow in the darkness. Her thumb hovered over the green phone icon, but before she could press it to call, a soft knock sounded at the door. She startled, then furrowed her brow. _It's 11:30 at night, what the fuck?_ She thought, tip toeing to the front door. Talia unlocked the deadbolt and pulled the door open roughly, ready to snap at whoever was on the other side.

Her voice caught in her throat as Ubbe stared back, a small smile on his face.


	15. XV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reunited....and you know the rest.

Talia was frozen.

She wasn't sure if she was really seeing him or not. She had imagined him-all of them, really- coming back to her so many times that she wondered now if it was just another fantasy playing in her head. But when Ubbe rushed forward, leaning down to kiss her hungrily, she knew he was real.

His mouth was warm, and the familiar smell of his leather jacket filled her nostrils. Talia was moved to do so many things: cry; scream; hit him. But all she did was close the door and toss her phone on the couch. She wrapped her arms around his neck to kiss him back just as hard. Standing on the tips of her toes, her body melted into his, and Ubbe wrapped his arms around her waist tightly, squeezing her and picking her up.

He walked through the darkness down the hall, carrying her and never breaking their kiss. His mouth moved to her neck as he set her on the bed and tugged on her waistband. Talia stared at the ceiling as her hands roamed through his cropped hair, the soft light of her lamp blurring in her vision as tears filled her eyes.

Ubbe's mouth slowed as he noticed the wetness on her face. "Hey, hey, what's wrong? Why are you crying?" He whispered, a slight chuckle in his tone. "Did I upset you? Do you want me to go?"

She shook her head quickly, sniffling and wiping her cheeks. "I just...I just really thought I wasn't ever going to see you again, and I can't believe you're here."

He smiled down at her, his blue eyes warm. "I shouldn't have come. I lied to everyone, and they think I'm in Italy. But I had to see you. I know it's stupid and dangerous. But I couldn't stand it anymore."

"I never wanted any of you to stay away," Talia practically whined back. "Maybe at first...I was scared, and wanted you all gone. I didn't know what was happening. But then you all left all of a sudden and I...I didn't think it would hit me so hard. But it did."

Ubbe ran his thumb back and forth across her cheek, then leaned down to kiss her again. He had not lied in his letter - he did miss her. Talia could tell by the way his lips kneaded onto hers. He was usually gentle, comforting even, but now Ubbe seemed to be driven by a desperation and urgency that made her own body ache for him. Talia started to grind against him and he pressed his frame into her, weighing her down into the mattress.

He reached between them and undid his pants haphazardly. Not bothering to even pull her bottoms off, he moved the fabric aside and grabbed at himself to push into her. Talia moaned as he slid in, arching her back immediately as he glided in and out. Ubbe nuzzled his face into the crook of her shoulder, driving into her eagerly, and Talia kissed at his jaw and neck. She bit her lip, but little noises still rose out of her throat each time he moved. She wanted him to keep going, wanted to just keep feeling him moving on top of her, but had to push him away gently to stop his motions.

His face looked almost hurt as she got up from the bed. "Did I do something?" Talia didn’t bother responding, only held up the condom package she retrieved from her drawer. Ubbe grunted softly and hung his head, grabbing it and tearing the plastic open. He rolled it on quickly and pulled Talia back down under him, stripping her this time from the waist down. He slid back in easily and immediately resumed, need clear in the rhythm of his breaths and his thrusting.

Talia clung to him, muscles tensing as he kept frigging into her. The pitch of her voice rose as his cadence increased, and never before had she seen him come across so deprived. Ubbe usually tried to focus on her, what she wanted. But now it was as though he were imploring something of her, trying to retrieve something he'd lost and absolutely had to get back.

He curved his hand around her shoulder and moved even harder into her. He knit his brows and dug his nails into her skin as he started to go rigid, and Talia moved more intensely for him, urging his body to release.

"Come on....come on," she whispered into his ear, kissing his neck softly, and Ubbe groaned between clenched teeth at her words, pushing her even deeper into the bed. His body shook as he finally came, gripping at her hard while she kept on moving under him. Ubbe met his forehead to hers, chest expanding harshly with every one of his pants. Talia trailed her hand through his hair when he slumped over her, still breathing hard into her neck.

"Why does it always feel like you've sucked the life out me when I’m with you?" He asked, sniggering softly. She turned her head sharply to look at him, surprised.

"It's not a bad thing!" He immediately soothed, kissing her cheek. "It's not bad at all, trust me."

"It better not be," Talia harrumphed teasingly, giving him a wry smile. She slid from underneath him and leaned to grab her bottoms. While she was so glad he was here, she was also aware it was temporary. She didn't want to ask, didn't want to ruin what had just happened, but she really just had to know: "How long are you here for?"

Ubbe paused as he adjusted himself. "A few hours. I should get back as soon as I can.." He trailed off, demeanor suddenly guarded.

She nodded slowly, fiddling with the ties of her shorts. It was risky for him to even be here, of course. Though Aelle was already dead, it was still technically his territory. He was sure to still have people on his side.

Talia exhaled slowly. "So what happened?"

"What do you mean?" Ubbe asked, staring up at the ceiling.

"When you killed Aelle?" She clarified simply. He turned his head slowly to meet her eyes. She held his gaze, silently willing him to tell her the truth.

"We got onto his estate," he began, voice low and mechanical. “Knocked out security. He was sleeping when we found him. He said he would do anything if we spared him. That he would give us anything we wanted if we did. Ivar told him that nothing he could ever give us would be equal to who our father was, and almost killed him right there. But Bjorn did it in the end."

Talia stared back him. "And do you feel better now?" She posed, trying her hardest not to sound patronizing.

"My parents are gone. I'm never going to see them again, and there is nothing I can do to change that. That’s it.

"I thought I would feel less anger, at least. That seeing Aelle finally dead would fix something. But it didn’t. I didn't feel anything at all. Not until I was with you," he told her, grabbing her hand.

She gave him a look. _So that's why he's here? That's what this is really about?_ "You know what I said about the whole thing, Ubbe. How I felt. I'm not your medication for the aftermath," she told him, slipping her bottoms on quickly. She stood to walk to the bathroom, tugging at her hair in annoyance.

"I know that," he replied, rising to follow her. "I know. Listen. That's not what I meant. I did miss you. Everything that I was dealing with, everything else that I thought was important didn't matter to me anymore. All I wanted was you. It felt like you were the only good thing I had left. All that mattered was seeing you again."

She paused, contemplating his words. She was both frustrated and sad at everything he told her. But Talia didn't want to be upset with him. Because she had missed him as well.

She turned and kissed him slowly. "Then you'll just have to keep coming back," she stated as their mouths moved together.

* * *

 

And he did. Ubbe came randomly, at all hours of the day and night. He threw her sleeping pattern off completely, but she didn't care, as long as she got to see him. Be with him. Sometimes he would show up early, before the sun even rose, and stay a day or two. Or she would be on her stoop, coming home from work, and he'd brush past her suddenly as she unlocked the door. There were times when it was late, and he'd knock softly, just like the first time he'd showed up.

He never stayed long enough. Not long enough for her. A few days would pass after he would leave and he would be back again. Sometimes a week or two would go by before she saw him again. But when they were together it seemed like time slowed down, just a little bit. Just for them.

Ubbe updated her on things, keep her informed on his brothers. Let her know how they were doing. "They miss you," he told her one day as they sat together on the couch.

"How do you know?"

"It's obvious. I always see Ivar holding your little music thing, listening to the same songs over and over again-"

"That's where it went! I thought I was going crazy. He owes me a new iPod," she stated, raising her brows at him. Ubbe only laughed.

"And Hvitserk is different. He used to have a different girl, every other week. Now I watch him, and he looks bored with them. I've never seen him look bored before. Even Bjorn notices, when we visit him. He's always making comments to them about how they seem down. That Aelle and Ecbert are dead, and they need to snap out of it, work on getting the company back."

"Maybe they really are down, though," she suggested. "You guys lost your mom and dad. And then you killed the people who did it. You don't just get over that."

"That's true," he agreed, running his index along his jaw. "But I also think they do miss you. I can feel it.” He paused, then said, “I did. You know how much I missed you."

Talia laid her head on his shoulder. "Yeah. I missed you too. And I miss them. I wish I could see them. It's been a while."

"I'm sure they feel the same," Ubbe told her, laying his head on hers.

The next day, he was gone. She was getting used to him disappearing suddenly, but still had her moments when it irked her. _At least I work late tonight_ , she thought, happy that she couldn’t well on his absence too much.

When she finally made it home, it was already dark. Despite waking up way before her alarm, Talia was not tired. In fact, she felt oddly energized, especially after completing the project proposal she was leading. She walked into her apartment, strutting down the hall to her room contently. Pushing open the door, Talia noticed a figure sitting on the edge of her bed.

Her heart sped up. _He came back_. "What are you doing here sitting in the dark? I thought you had to leave. I wasn't expecting you to come back, I would have brought work-"

A clicking sound made her stop as the figure stood. She took a step back, and when the lamp was flicked on, Talia looked up to find Ivar staring back at her, his blue eyes hard and roguish in the glow.


	16. XVI

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ivar time

"How did you get inside?"

"I haven't seen you in months and that's all you say to me? No 'Hi, how have you been?' You have no manners,” He teased darkly, approaching her.

Talia observed him. His hair was a bit longer, tousled in a way she knew was not actually styled but still made him look good. She hated that he was like that, so attractive that he literally did not have to try. Everything just fell into place. It seemed unfair.

He moved closer, stopping when the space between them was almost nonexistent. A lot of the times she'd been around Ivar, the most curious feeling had formed within her; it was a mix of slight trepidation and agitation. Like her body was just waiting on him to do something to her, something depraved, and she knew she would like it immensely. That same feeling rose now.

"Hi," she said slowly, her voice low. "How have you been?"

Ivar chuckled, hovering above her while his eyes roamed her face. "Still the comic, I see."

"How did you get in?" She asked again, dropping her bag to the ground.

"I have a better question: how long did you expected Ubbe to keep coming here, without telling us, and keep you all to himself?"

Talia opened her mouth to reply, but nothing came out. She wasn't trying to hide from him or Hvitserk. She was just happy to be able to even see Ubbe, to at least see one of them. "I didn't-"

"Another good question," Ivar cut her off, slowly dragging his index over her lips to keep her from talking. He trailed his hands to her neck, grasping the lapel of her jacket and sliding it down her arms. Leaning his face down to her ear, just barely brushing against her cheek, he whispered, "What kinds of things can I do to you so that you can make it up to me?"

She looked up at him from under her brow, an intense curl of arousal swirling within her. This is what she had been waiting for, for so long. "I'll let you know when you've gone too far," she told him. "Do what you want."

Ivar smiled fiendishly at her, before leaning down again to kiss her. He grabbed either side of her collar and pulled, the buttons popping off into every direction. His left hand dove into her ruined shirt and roamed over her breasts, reaching for the cups of her bra to free them. The other one found its way to the back of her head, tugging the roots of her hair to pull their mouths apart.

"Strip," was all he said, pushing her away from him roughly. "Not everything. Keep your underwear on."

Talia did as he said, removing her clothes efficiently. He sat back on the bed, running his tongue over his bottom lip as he watched her.

"Come here," he said, and she started walking to him. "No," he told her sharply, and Talia stopped. "Crawl."

She rolled her eyes, suppressing a smile, but obliged, lowering to the floor. The wood dug into her knees, but she kept moving toward him. Talia held his gaze, a faint smile on his mouth as he stared back. She rose and slowly glided her hands up his thighs when she reached him, waiting for more instruction.

Ivar leaned forward, caressing the skin of her back with his palms. "Did you think I wouldn't find out?" He asked, his hands warm against her. "That you could just keep it a secret? Hm?"

"You all chose to stay away. I didn't make that decision. Ubbe came on his own. You could have come too," she replied, shivering as he bit her neck softly.

"Is that so?" He asked, reaching his hands lower. Before Talia could reply, she felt him pull his hand back, then land a stinging smack on her ass, making her jump. A tiny squeal escaped from her, and she looked up at him abruptly, shocked. Ivar only stared down at her, smugness and satisfaction smeared all over his face.

It hadn't hurt exactly, it just surprised her. Talia furrowed her brow, at a loss for a moment, then regained her composure, squaring her shoulders. She lifted an eyebrow at him, as if to say, _Do your worst_.

His facade broke, for just a second, and he smiled back at her, wide and genuine. It reminded her of the first time she'd seen him like that, when they had smoked together; how beautiful he'd looked when he let his guard down.

He reached under her ass and pulled her into his lap, attacking her mouth. Talia responded just as eagerly, digging her hands under his shirt and grinding up against him. She started to pull it up when he stood suddenly, lifting her up with him. Ivar turned and threw her on the bed, and she sat up on her elbows while she watched him remove his top. He leaned down, grabbing her underwear, pulling it down her legs impatiently. She started to take off her bra when he looked up at her, his eyes intense.

"Did I say you could take it off?" He asked, his voice calm and low as he tilted his head to the side. When she only stared back him, he raised his eyebrows. "Well?"

Talia immediately shook her head, moving her hands back down to the bed. A heat pooled in her belly. _Oh, I missed this. I really missed this._

"Get on your knees," he ordered, and she did so. Talia stared at the wall and felt another slap on her ass. She didn't squeal this time, but did flinch. His hits were much harder than what she was used to, but she kept quiet, still enjoying them. Turning her head, she watched as he undid his pants, admiring his bare chest.

"Turn around," he said, not even bothering to look at her. Talia grinned and faced forward. She felt him grip her waist, then he pushed into her, filling her intensely. She moaned softly, her eyes rolling closed as he immediately picked up his pace.

"So is that what you wanted?" He posed. "You only wanted Ubbe here, to fuck you when you pleased?"

She shook her head, biting her lip as he pumped into her.

He grabbed her hair, pulling her head back toward him. "What was that?"

"No," she bit out.

"Oh, so you did want the rest of us? Are you sure?"

"Yes," she moaned, her mouth hanging open as she panted.

"Okay then. Let's prove it," he told her, pushing her face into the mattress. Ivar grabbed both of her arms and contorted them behind her back. He pounded into her more roughly and Talia wailed.

"Did you miss it, when I fucked you like this?"

"Mmhm," she responded, unable to form words.

"Would you think about me, late at night? Imagine me inside you?"

"No," she said, holding back a moan, "I would think about me on top of you, riding your dick so hard that you could barely breathe."

Ivar laughed then, clearly not expecting her response. He gripped her arms into one if his hands, then wormed the other between her legs, collecting her slick and rubbing at her in circles. Talia sobbed, her body shaking as he increased his rhythm again, she came, tensing while gritting her teeth.

"It's been too long since I've seen that," he said, slowing and releasing her arms.

Talia caught her breath before she responded. "You stole my iPod."

"What?"

"You stole my iPod. Ubbe told me he saw you with it. You owe me a new one," she repeated, closing her eyes.

"Fine, whatever," he dismissed. He laid over her then, patting her face. "But wake the fuck up," he whispered, "I'm not done with you yet."


	17. XVII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ivar and Talia have an awkward heart to heart

Her room was a mess.

Clothes, blankets, condom wrappers, and all sorts of things were strewn about, and Talia was just grateful it was the weekend. Ivar had kept her up all night, barely letting her leave the bed, let alone the room. She was exhausted. In a good way.

He was lying next to her, asleep. Talia felt the heat radiating off of his prone figure and she turned her head to stare at him. It had been so long since she was allowed to just take him in, appreciate how gorgeous he really was. Longer strands of his hair shielded his face and Talia reached over slowly, brushing them back to get a better look.

"I thought you would still be sleeping after last night," he mumbled, voice deep. Ivar turned onto his back, eyes still closed, and her gaze drifted to his bare chest as he idly scratched himself.

"Just admiring the view," she whispered, turning onto her side. He opened his eyes then narrowed them as he stared back at. She smirked, resting her head in her palm.

"I forgot how obnoxious you are," Ivar told her, closing his eyes again.

"You don't think I'm obnoxious. You like me. You missed me. You wouldn't be here if you didn't," Talia affirmed.

Ivar was unmoving, breathing deeply, but she saw his eyebrow twitch slightly at her words. She was right.

"Were you really jealous?" She prodded. "Did it drive you insane that Ubbe was here, fucking me like crazy, and you didn't have a clue? That you couldn't be here to do the same?" She scooted even closer and pressed her body against his, running her nose and lips along his neck. His breathing became more labored and she smiled. Ivar was usually the one in control. It was kind of a rush to see him trying to keep it together.

"Do you know what he did that I loved?" Talia asked, nibbling and licking at the shell of his ear. "Sometimes he would come in, while I was asleep, and he'd be right between my legs, sucking and fucking me with his tongue until I woke up. That was the best," she told him, her voice low and breathy. Her bare breasts were grazing against the skin of his right arm and she lifted her hand, slowly dragging light circles over his torso.

"I would always wonder if you'd come back. Ubbe couldn’t help it. But you. I always wondered about you. The only time you ever really seemed to pay attention to me was when you were fucking me. So I thought maybe you had found someone else. But as soon as Ubbe did that, every time I came in his mouth, I just forgot all about you." At that, she heard him growl, and suddenly his hands were around her neck. Talia grinned back at him. His blue eyes were intense, almost feral, and instead of feeling scared, laughter bubbled within her chest. She was already soaked seeing Ivar like this, completely incensed.

He leaned his face towards her. "You're gonna regret telling me that."

"Oh yeah?" She challenged, her heart beating faster, loving how he was acting. As if he really was jealous. "And why is that?"

He paused, staring at her, then lowered his mouth to hers. He kissed her, slowly and softly. Releasing her neck, Ivar climbed over her, brushing her hair away from her face tenderly. Talia furrowed her brow, confused at the unexpected warmth, but kept kissing him all the same.

His lips remained latched onto hers as his hand dove between them to guide himself inside her. She closed her legs, blocking him before he could enter her, and he frowned at the action. Talia ignored him, leaning over to her nightstand for another condom. Ivar put it on quickly before he aimed into her again. He raised himself on his forearms and rocked in and out of her like a wave. It was intense, but also somehow calm and so unlike what she was used to with him.

Talia wrapped her legs around his waist and ran her palms along his back, feeling the muscles underneath his smooth skin. Ivar stared back down at her and she held his gaze, the pressure in her body growing slowly as he maintained his rhythm. He leaned down again, bringing his cheek to rest right next to hers.

"I did miss you," he said into her ear, his voice unusually soft while he kept moving "And I wanted to stop. I didn't want to think about you at all. I wanted you to mean nothing to me."

Talia gripped him tighter. A swell of guilt started to build through her as his words, his real meaning, registered, and it melded with the pleasure Ivar was building within her body.

"When I found out Ubbe was coming here, I was furious. I was mad at myself,” he kept on whispering, his words much swifter than his motions. “Mad because you did matter, and I couldn't do anything about it. He was the one acting like some lovesick little boy. Not me," he grunted, pushing into her more intensely. "That couldn't be me. I was okay, with you and Ubbe. I just didn’t want to care. But when I would see him, leaving all the time, I knew what he was doing. I knew the only reason he was away was because of you. I knew, because I wanted to do the same. He just had the courage to go through with it, to break our deal and come to you. So I felt like I had to come here. I felt like I wanted to punish you. Have you begging and crying for me. Make you want me like I want you. And maybe get it out of my system. For good."

Talia opened her eyes and turned her head to look at him. Her nose brushed his cheek, and she nuzzled against him. Her attraction to Ivar was obvious, but Talia always assumed he was the least concerned about her, out of all of them. He seemed to enjoy just fucking her, like she told him, and she was fine with that arrangement. She did want to know him better of course. She always did. But Ivar was just was not as open as Ubbe or Hvitserk. He refused to give her that. He could certainly fuck her senseless, but everything he gifted her physically was completely lacking elsewhere. Ivar was just so tightlipped.

There were moments, few and very far between, where he would reveal himself suddenly. The outbursts were pleasantly surprising, even if they were a result of anger or fear. It was something, at least. But he would immediately close up again, that invisible wall impenetrable once more. This, right now, was the first time he seemed to be vulnerable with her. It was not by mistake or him having some sort of breakdown. He was deliberately sharing this with her.

Ivar slid into her deeply, over and over. Not in his typical brutal manner, but in a new way; potent and full of fervor. Talia bit into his shoulder, little whines escaping from the back of her throat. She felt him breathing into her neck deeply, and she ran her fingers through his hair, trying to hold him as tightly as she could. Her orgasm hit her fiercely and she spasmed, gasping and crying out loudly. His followed moments after, and he squeezed her frame until she could barely breathe. Ivar lied on her, still panting hard, and Talia rested below him.

She felt even more tired, and awkward now, after his confession. He had been right- she did regret telling him what she said. It was meant to tease him only, and she felt awful for mocking him, now that she knew how he truly felt.

"I'm an asshole," she whispered, staring up at the ceiling.

"I know," he immediately replied, and she scoffed. Ivar chuckled, lifting his head to look at her. "But that's why I like you," he told her, giving her a peck on the lips.

"I guess it takes one to know one. We're just right for each other," Talia joked, smiling at him. He rolled his eyes, but she caught him trying to hide his smile, her own growing even wider.

"You know I did want you, right? I always wanted you. I never tried to hide that," Talia told him.

Ivar sat up slowly, then lowered his head. "I know. But I did. I did try to hide it. Because I already saw all of this."

"It's not that bad. I'm not that bad, Ivar. It’s not like I’m going to ruin you or anything," she replied, feeling a bit defensive.

"No" he agreed. "That's exactly what I mean. That's what makes you so tempting. You're like this…bright light. And all of us are just little bugs, flying into you. You aren't an asshole," Ivar said, turning his face to the side. "You're dangerous."

Talia laughed. "How ironic. You, of all people, calling me dangerous. That's funny."

"It doesn't mean I'm not right," he declared, turning to look back at her with knowing eyes.

"You’re not," she challenged again, her tone curt. "It doesn't have to be like that. You don't have to see me that way. I'm not this special, threatening thing that you have to fight against. Just let yourself feel it, Ivar. I'm not going to hurt you, okay? Any of you. I just want to be with you all. And I want you to want me back. Because I know you do, you just told me. Don't hide it. Don't try to bury it away because you're scared. Out of everything that you’ve done in your life, the things I’ve read and what I know and what Ubbe told me, you’re really gonna let _me_ scare you? Get it together. Just- let yourself want me!" she ordered, her voice growing louder and plaintive.

He was silent for a long time, staring at her, then turned his back again. Talia furrowed her brow, worried she had pushed him too far. That she had just undone everything, and he would never tell her anything again, that he wouldn’t even want to speak to her. Her stomach clenched, and she sat up quickly, wrapping the sheet around herself. She placed a hand on his shoulder tentatively, unsure of how he would respond. But Ivar turned at her touch, looking at her with soft eyes.

"Okay."


	18. XVIII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hi Hvitserk!

That's how it was for them. The next few weeks, Ubbe and Ivar took turns coming to her, spending nights or days or a few measly, hours with Talia.

They never showed at the same time, which she would have preferred, but it was for the best. Their mere presence at her place was still a risk, as enemies (Talia would roll her eyes every time they both used that word) could strike back at any moment, though everything was calm for now.

She got used to them showing up and leaving randomly, and it became routine. It wasn't like before, of course, where all of them were together. That was ideal, but unrealistic, she knew. She had work, and they other things, business to take care of. So she took what she could get.

Talia woke early one morning, having slept longer than she usually did. Ivar had been lying with her the night before, and she had fallen asleep against his back. He was so warm and smelled so good, so she wrapped her legs around his, nuzzling the crook of his neck. She was normally a light sleeper, but having Ubbe and Ivar with her made slumber heavier and much more pleasant, to her surprise.

But he was gone now. Most likely slipped out before the sun rose, and Talia twisted her face. She sat on the edge of her bed, smelling her shirt. It smelled like him. Smiling, she stood, dragging her feet to the bathroom.

She stripped, burying her nose into the cotton tee once more, before turning on her speakers and hoping into the tub. Singing along to an [old Sharon Jones song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRLAkT1j4Kg), Talia ran her hands under the stream of water. Once it was warm enough, she dipped her head, rivulets finding their way through her tresses. Her voice grew much louder as she lathered shampoo into her hair, closing her eyes against any potential sting.

She kept singing, nodding her head as she washed her hair. Talia thought she heard the door open, but kept her eyes closed. Pausing, she then heard nothing, so shrugged and resumed her crooning. Dipping her head again, she ran a bar of soap over herself, letting the water wash everything down. Talia turned slowly, facing the other way, and shrieked when she finally opened her eyes.

Hvitserk was standing outside of the tub, a hand holding the green curtain back. He watched her with an amused grin on his face.

"God, you...motherfucker," she spat out, pressing a palm against her chest. "You scared the shit out of me. Dick."

"You are just full of surprises," he stated, crawling into the tub with her. He was completely dressed, and even had his shoes on, but didn't seem to care that he would get wet.

"What?" Talia said, confused and eyeing him warily.

"Your voice is lovely. I should have known," he said suggestively, leaning down to kiss her. Talia reached a hand back to turn the water off, weaving her other hand through his hair.

"What took you so long?" She asked him, her eyes rolling back as he bit and sucked her neck.

"Were you missing me?" Hvitserk asked against her skin, his palm trailing down the plane of her stomach. It landed at her waist and he gripped hard, guiding her out of the tub.

"Of course," Talia responded earnestly, glancing down to make sure she didn’t slip. He walked her back to her room, his stubble tickling her face. It made him look at bit older, in a good way, and she liked it.

The backs of her legs met the edge of the bed and Hvitserk pushed her back, immediately kneeling down. Talia adjusted herself, rising on her elbows as he situated himself between her legs. He pushed her thighs aside and dove his face in, licking at her slowly, which was different. Talia was used to everything being fast and exciting with him, but this was nice. She could feel every movement he made on her, and she sighed contentedly.

He moaned while his tongue swirled and lips molded onto her, savoring her. "I forgot how fucking good you taste," Talia heard him say, his voice deep and husky. She almost gave a quip, but when a slid a finger inside her, curving it, all she could do was gasp. Her hips started to move against his hand, but he stopped suddenly, pulling away from her.

"What?" She asked, her eyes roaming his face. His lips were glistening and pulling upward into a devilish grin. He started climbing over her.

"Get up. On your knees," he ordered, whispering the command into her ear. Talia wrinkled her brow, not sure what he was getting at. Hvitserk got behind her and she turned her head to watch him. He ran his palm across her lower back, right above her bare ass, as he lowered the flat of his tongue onto her lips again. She whimpered, still sensitive from before, and he reached his other hand around to run quick circles over her clit.

Talia wailed, leaning back into him, and it only made Hvitserk slobber and rub more vigorously. She felt him dig his fingers into her skin as her moans grew more intense and finally he growled as if frustrated. He pushed her away, then lifted one of her legs, sinking onto his back right beneath her.

He cupped her ass and mumbled, _I'm gonna hear you fucking come for me_. Hvitserk pulled her down onto his mouth roughly, moving his lips over her core like he was trying to sop up everything coming out of her. His hands keep digging into her, encouraging her to move against his face, and she gladly complied. She was grinding on his mouth, leaning a palm on his chest, when she finally came. Her legs shook as a tingling sensation traveled from the soles of her feet to back to her center, right where he kept mouthing at her. Talia moaned, loud and heavy, gasping and still grinding and felt him smile.

She leaned back farther, unbuckling his belt, then crawled backwards over him, keeping his hard length in her hand. Her palm moved up and down over him as her other hand reached for a condom. Hvitserk simply sat back, resting his head in his arms with a huge smirk on his face.

"Are you proud of yourself, you cocky jerk?" Talia asked, rolling the condom over him.

"Wouldn't you be, after hearing someone come like that? It takes skill. Skill not many people have," he bragged.

"Well, I guess I'm about to find out," she replied, sinking onto his cock slowly. Hvitserk furrowed his brow slightly at her smothering him, but then regained his composure, twisting his lips upward again. Talia rose and sank slowly, running her hands across her breasts. She watched as his face grew serious, lustful, and she gave a smirked of her own.

She started to move just a bit faster, not enough to bring him to his high, but enough to entice him. He started to glide his hands up her thighs and she looked down, shaking her head as she met his gaze.

"No touching," she teased, speeding up her movements. Hvitserk bit his lip but complied, keep his palms on the bed. She kept watching him, noticing the way his eyes darkened from blue to almost completely black. Her fingers roamed all over her body, around her neck and down her nipples again before finding their way to her clit. She rubbed at herself, still keeping her pace, and glanced at Hvitserk once more.

He looked almost enraged, and a shock of pleasure shot through her at the sight of him. She had never seen him like that, and it was wonderful. She loved how genial and playful Hvitserk always was. But this side of him, dark and hungry and completely wanting, this she liked as well. Very much. Talia laughed, pressing her hands into his chest and clenching over him, moving mercilessly. He finally groaned, gripping her waist with both hands and thrusting up into her. He moved quickly and roughly until he released, panting harshly.

Talia sat still over him, watching as his chest rose and fell with every one of his breaths. 

"You're right," she said, a smug grin on her lips. "I do feel proud."


	19. XIX

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Worlds collide, and Talia is not sure what to do

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I just moved, and that is why it has taken me so long to update. But here it is!

She could hear Hvitserk's breathing; its light, measured pace letting her know he was already awake.

Talia opened her eyes slowly, her vision adjusting to the brightness in the room. He'd been here for two days, which seemed generous. She silently wondered when he would finally up and leave. Because it was always when, with the Ragnarssons. 

She thought she was okay with the random comings and goings. But Talia realized she was starting to dread those moments. They just reminded her of the first time they left, of not knowing if she would ever see them again. She tried not to talk about it. But Talia couldn't help thinking of them leaving. They did always return, eventually. It was just the moments in between, the uncertainty, which grew her worry. Hvitserk had just come back to her, and already she didn't want him disappearing again, like Ubbe and Ivar did randomly.

He turned toward Talia as she stretched her limbs, a grin spreading across his whiskered lips. "Good morning, beautiful." Talia felt her features scrunching up involuntarily, a groan of disgust caught in her throat.

"What?" He asked, leaning even closer. "You don't like being called beautiful?" She shook her head, the grimace on her face deepening.

"Okay then, what about...gorgeous? Stunning? Sexy?”

"Ugh, gross," she finally burst, pushing his torso away. Hvitserk reached up quickly to grab at her waist, pulling their bodies flush against one another.

"Oh, I think that one is my favorite," he replied, nuzzling her neck. “You are the _sexiest_ girl I have ever been with.”

"I can't stand that word," Talia replied, running her fingers through his hair.

"Well, it's what you are," he insisted with mock gravity, drifting his palm under her thermal. "How can you deny your true nature?"

"There is more to me than how I look, you know," she told him, rolling her eyes. "It is probably the least interesting thing about me."

"I do know that. I just happen to like how you look. A lot. Besides, I see the way you drool over Ivar. Why can't I do that with you?" Hvitserk asked, pulling away to give her a sly smirk.

"I _do not_ drool," Talia shot back. _Do I?_ She wondered silently. Could anyone really blame her though? He was just too beautiful. "And I like him for more than his appearance."

"Suuure. Of course you do. Because Ivar is so easy to like, right?" Hvitserk mentioned, his brow quirking upward.

"Well, it takes time, yes. But he can be...sweet," she said carefully, staring back at him. Talia wanted to say _soft_ and _vulnerable_ and _fragile_ , but she didn't want her meaning to be misconstrued. And she was sure that Ivar would not like to be described in such ways. Talia knew Hvitserk would only tease his younger brother, for being called soft. But she meant those things in the best way. It was just better to keep that to herself.

"What about me?" Hvitserk asked, giving her a peck on the lips. "What can I be?"

"You..." Talia began. "You are fun. And happy. And good."

"And boring," He added, the edges of his lips turning downward.

"When did I say that?" Talia asked, raising her brow.

"You didn't have to. I saw how you were always all over Ubbe and Ivar. I had to get in your face for you to even look my way. They are not good or fun or happy...."

Talia wanted to scold him. But as she observed him- searching his face, his eyes not meeting hers- all she could do was laugh. Hvitserk was jealous! That is so cute, she thought, watching as he tried to hide his pout.

"Oh really?" She asked, holding back a giggle. "So everything between was just...what, pity fucks then?"

Hvitserk paused at her words, then met her eyes. "Of course not."

"Okay. First of all, you were hurt. I didn’t think it was the best idea to start fucking someone who had just been shot. I wanted to make sure you were okay at least. And honestly, I can like things about you that your brothers don't have. Will never have. And vice versa. You are all different. You can't expect me to treat you all the same," Talia reasoned.

"I guess..." he trailed off.

"Ugh, you are such a middle child," she teased, tugging on his hair. "You're...exciting. Like...you know when you first learn to ride a bike? Or like, eating those candies that are really sour then super sweet? Or when someone pushes you into a pool and you don't know what’s happening but it is still amazing? It's bright and cool and just like....electrifying? That's what you're like. Over and over again. The best kind of unpredictable. Is that better?"

Hvitserk gazed back at her sheepishly, a boyish smile forming on his face. He then leaned forward again to kiss her, wrapping his hand around her nape gently. Talia pulled away to stare back at him, running her thumb over his brows.

"Are you hungry? Want me to make you something?" She inquired.

"Is the sky blue?" He shot back, grinning at her.

"Okay, smart ass," Talia said, sitting up. She grabbed her pillow and threw it at his face, walking toward the bathroom. Hvitserk growled playfully and rose after her, circling his arms around her waist and nipping at her neck. Talia smiled as she grabbed her toothbrush, checking him with a quick bump of her hip against his.

The doorbell rang as they cleaned up, and they looked at one another suddenly, apprehension in their gazes. After a moment, Talia turned and walked down the hall cautiously, wiping her mouth on her sleeve. Her heart was beating rapidly and she willed herself to calm down. "Yes?" She called behind the closed door, her hand hovering over the knob.

"It's me," her mother said in their tongue. Talia felt relief and even more adrenaline pulse through her. _Shit._ She turned and saw Hvitserk, his head tilted in confusion. Talia unlocked the door quickly.

"Were you asleep?" Her mother asked, pushing past the entrance with bags hanging from her arms. Talia shook her head, wincing.

"Oh, hello," she heard, and turned, watching as her mom greeted Hvitserk.

"Good morning," he said politely, smiling down at her. "You two really are identical,” he murmured, looking between them. “You must be Talia's mother."

"Haha, yes…" her mother trailed off, turning to give her a pointed look. Talia was acquainted with that face. It meant her mother thought she was being rude, and needed to remedy the situation immediately.

"Ma! This is Hvitserk. Hvitserk, my mom, Petra," Talia said a little too loudly. "He is visiting-"

"From Sweden," he interjected, taking her mother's hand. Talia exhaled, grateful that he caught on. _I guess being rich really does come with good breeding_ , she mused.

"What are you doing here, ma?" Talia posed, trying not to sound as tense as she felt. Though she was very close to her mother, she had not mentioned anything about the brothers' presence in her life. She had not told anyone, really. Not because she was ashamed, but Talia wanted to make sense of it first, for herself. None of them had had any sort of formal conversation about what was going on. They just came and went, without any semblance of pattern or routine.

Talia was fine with that for now. But when things like this happened, the stable fixtures in her life clashed with these sporadic drifters, what was she supposed to do? The only thing she wanted from them was to be able to see them, be with them. Nothing more. _But are there rules? Is this temporary? Sustainable? Do they want something more from me?_ She had never thought about how this would all actually work until this very moment.

Her mother, dropping the bags onto the ground with an exaggerated sigh, snapped her out of her thoughts. "I just came to say hello, give you some things. Am I not wanted here?"

Hvitserk leaned down to pick up the bags. "Of course you are," he told her, his face genial.

"Oh, thank you...Hvitserk? Did I say that right?" Petra asked, her slight accent curling around his name in a pleasant way.

"Yes, that's right," he replied, following her to the kitchen.

"I made some food for Talia. Would you like some?" She asked him.

"Yes, please," Hvitserk replied eagerly, his voice echoing in the hall. Talia was still, staring at their backs. It was almost cute, their little back and forth. But it scared her as well. She had not thought about anyone in her life meeting the Ragnarssons. Perhaps, deep down, she thought she would keep them to herself. But that illusion was now shattered.

 _What the fuck am I supposed to do now?_ She wondered, trailing after them.


	20. XX

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Living it up in Spain (not really haha)

"Ubbe. I need you to do something."

Talia gazed at him steadily, watched as he turned his head up to her slowly from her laptop. His eyes were wide with curiosity, the blue in the irises so bright and clear she almost forgot what she intended to ask him.

"Anything," Ubbe told her, placing a warm hand on her leg. His thumb drifted back and forth across her skin, and she wanted his hand to drift lower, into the crevice between her thighs.

But she had to focus. Talia exhaled and rolled her neck, trying to find the right words. "I....I think we should...this whole thing, that we are doing, is...."

Ubbe closed his eyes, pausing the movement of his thumb. He nodded knowingly, almost sadly, then patted her leg. "It's too much for you," he told her with certainty. "I understand. I had a feeling this might happen. I’ll tell Hvitserk and Ivar, and we won’t come anymore. We’ll leave you alone."

She made a face, confused. "What? No! No. That's not what I’m trying to say. That's what I mean, Ubbe," Talia sighed. "We need to talk about what's going on. The four of us. Together. Not just you three. I need to be involved too."

Ubbe blinked, then faced forward, staring at the floor. "Okay."

"You know Hvitserk met my mom, right?" She told him.

"Yes," he replied, a small smile tugging on his lips. "He said she was lovely. That you two are practically the same. I wish I could have met her."

"Well, that's why we need to talk," Talia clarified. "He didn't meet her on purpose. I hadn't thought about anyone meeting her, or my dad-"

"Did you not want us to?" Ubbe asked, his eyes now looking a little hurt.

"I just hadn't thought about it at all. And that wasn't smart, on my part," she replied, shrugging. "I don't know how this is supposed to work. My mom kept asking me if Hvitserk was my boyfriend, asking why I didn't tell her anything, and I didn't know what to say. 'Oh yeah, he is. And so is his brother. And his other brother too. But we don't know that much about each other. We kind of just hang out and fuck.'" Talia finished, giving him a confused and desperate look.

Ubbe smiled at her again. "I know you. I do know you."

Talia narrowed her eyes, a pinch of annoyance twisting in her chest. "Okay. Fine,” she said, flaring her nostrils. She pursed her lips, staring back at him fiercely. “When is my birthday?"

He raised an eyebrow, and blinked, but was silent.

She canted her head to the side. "What's my job?"

Again, more silence.

She leaned toward him slowly, a challenging look now etched on her face. "What's my favorite color? Where is my family from? How many siblings do I have? What-"

"Okay, I get it," he said, cutting her off. "But those are details. Small things. I know the things that matter. I know how caring you can be. I've seen it. I know you can be fearless. And strong. These things matter. These I've seen. Felt them."

"The details matter too, Ubbe," she countered. "To me, at least. I had an entire life before I met all of you. And none of you know anything about it. I barely know anything about yours. I just think we should all talk. Figure out what we want from this.

“I want all of you. I don’t just mean in my bed. I want you all in my life, and we need to understand how that will work. But if any of you want something different, then I need to know. Get that in my head and be okay with that."

Ubbe took in her words, nodding as his eyes squinted in understanding. "I want you in my life too. I don’t…I like how my life is now, with you in it. It’s better.”

“So we need to figure out how this works, right?” Talia insisted.

"Okay. We can talk. But it can’t be here. We can't all be here together."

"So…where then?" She asked, brow furrowed.

Ubbe creased his forehead pensively. "We'll go to Bjorn's hotel. He won't care. Hvitserk used to take his girls there all the time."

"Okay, one, I can't just drop hundreds of dollars on a plane ticket to go to Spain. And two.... what?"

"Don't worry. I'll take care of it. Just take time off of work like you did last time, and everything else will be good," he told her nonchalantly, patting her leg again. Ubbe looked back down at the computer, completely missing the incredulous look Talia gave him.

"I will never understand rich people," she said, earning a hearty laugh from him.

* * *

The flight to Mallorca was long, but tolerable, as Ubbe procured a first class ticket. It made her feel slightly uncomfortable, like he was her sugar daddy or something ridiculously similar, but knew it was futile to protest any further. Every time Talia tried to argue with him about spending so much money on her, Ubbe only ignored her, and kept doing so. When he was finally fed up with it, he broke down one day, asking her if he told her how to spend her money.

"No? Why would I ever let you do that?" Talia replied.

"Okay. So stop telling me how to spend mine," he retorted, and she reluctantly acquiesced.

When the driver pulled up to the hotel, her jaw dropped.

It was beautiful. A massive, modern structure shaped like an X, with two pillars that looked like they were made of matchsticks supporting either side. Between each stick there were rectangular windows trailing up the columns. The central complex also had clear glass, for guests to see the spectacular views of Palma on their way to and from their suites. Talia could not help but crane her neck, staring up at the people walking through the hotel. She was speechless.

She gathered her bag from the car, fishing a few bills from her pocket to give to the driver. "No need, Miss," he told her, voice clear. "It is all taken care of."

Talia smirked, nodding knowingly. "Right. Thanks," she said, walking toward the sliding doors.

The inside of the lobby was just as beautiful, full of interesting art and decorations Talia felt she had seen before, but could not place. The motifs in the imagery she saw were of fanged beasts, ornate twists, and shapes that were almost geometric. They were alluring, in a slightly ominous way.

Talia heard a young woman talking to a group of what looked like tourists. She edged closer to them discreetly, catching the guide's lilting tone. "The structure we are in was created by Santiago Calatrava, the well known Valencian architect. It is said that Mr. Ragnarsson saw Calatrava's work in Malmö, and as he was a close friend of Lady Aslaug, Mr. Ragnarsson's late stepmother, they were able to develop a business relationship, which resulted in this work. It is meant to resemble Dagaz, the rune that symbolizes, among many things, light, daybreak, change, and prosperity. "

"I thought so," she whispered to herself, nodding as the guide kept talking to the group.

"You thought what?" A warm voice said in her ear, and she startled. Talia spun and found Ubbe, a happy grin plastered on his face. He wore jeans and a simple cotton tee, and looked at ease, his eyes wide and bright.

She hugged him, standing on her toes to reach his full length. "This does look like Calatrava's work. I had a feeling it was."

"I didn't know you liked architecture," he said, grabbing her bag from the floor.

"Well, considering I'm an architect, I would hope so," she replied. His eyes grew big for the briefest of seconds, and he looked her up and down.

Talia gave him a devious look. "I know you. I do know you," she mimicked. "Remember that?"

Ubbe rolled his eyes, the left side of his mouth tugging upward. "Anyway," he said, dismissing her words. "How was the flight?"

"Long. But nicer in first class," she said, following him onto the elevator. He pushed the button for the top most floor. As soon as the doors closed, he dropped her bag  with a thud, and turned sharply, smothering her body with his.

"I missed you," Ubbe told her between their kisses, gliding his palms toward her waist to grip her tightly.

"It's only been a week and a half. You knew I was coming," she said, but felt the same. Talia had been desperate to see all three of them, and barely slept on the plane.

"Too long," was all he said in reply, grabbing her thighs and pushing her against the wall of the lift. A loud ding shocked them out of their trance, Ubbe almost dropping her from his grip.

Two young girls wearing wet, bright swimsuits got on the elevator, giggling to one another as they gripped their towels. Talia pushed Ubbe away quickly, tugging at her shirt and smoothing down her hair. Ubbe cleared his throat and looked forward, earning the attention of the girls. He smiled down at them, and they turned back to one another, whispering and giggling again. After ascending a few more floors, they departed, and Talia glanced back at him.

"Looks like you have a few admirers," she teased.

"Jealous?" He asked, leading her to the suite once they reached the top floor.

"You know, I just can't help it. You're a hot commodity," she deadpanned. Her eyes suddenly caught the view, and Talia simply stared. The waves were a deep indigo and a bright aqua, reflecting the bright rays of the sun. Gorgeous, craggy mountains loomed farther back, behind the other man-made structures of the island's capital, and from her vantage she could see tufts of trees sprouted along the rocks.

She entered the suite after Ubbe, which took up the whole floor. Talia faced an immense sunken living room, filled with exquisite pieces of furniture that framed an indoor pool. There were two double doors on either side of her periphery, which she assumed were the bedrooms, and wall to ceiling windows let in plenty of light.

"I'll put your stuff in Sigurd's old room," Ubbe said quietly, crossing in front of her.

Talia followed, taking everything in. "Did....did you ever find him?" She asked behind him. The room was just as lavish as the rest of the suite, rugs strewn across the floor and a glossy green guitar settled in the corner. It looked too clean, as if it had not been lived in in quite some time.

Ubbe sighed, shaking his head. "We went back to find his body, but there was nothing there. Not even blood. It was kind of weird, really."

"Have people said anything? They must realize he's missing," she mused.

"Yeah. They're starting to ask questions. We usually come here, the four of us together, since Bjorn had the top floor made just for us. He loved coming here," he whispered softly. "But people noticed when he wasn't with us. I'm not sure what to tell them."

Talia exhaled, and bit her lip. She opened her mouth to comfort him, but was interrupted by the doors bursting open. Her head snapped toward the commotion and she saw Hvitserk, bare chested and smiling wide.

"You're here," he said calmly, before rushing to her. She caught a glimpse of Ivar strolling in slowly after his brother, his face looking uninterested, before Hvitserk tackled her onto the bed.

"Hey! Careful, Hvitserk. You're gonna hurt her," Ubbe scolded, but Hvitserk ignored him, planting kisses along her neck and nipping her collarbone. Talia smiled, hugging his torso.

"She's fine," he insisted, sitting back to straddle her. "See?" She placed her palms on his thighs, grinning up at him, then turned her head to find Ivar again. He stood at the doorway, his arms crossed over his chest and his features blank. Talia caught his gaze and gave him a little upward nod. His lip gave a microscopic curl, the smallest hint of a smile.

She looked back up at Hvitserk. "I'm surprised you’re glad to see me."

"Why?" He asked, his deep voice smooth and familiar.

"I heard you used to bring some special guests here. So I guess I'm just another one of your conquests, huh?" She teased, feigning hurt.

"Aw, don't be like that," he said, tilting his head. "You know you're my favorite." She laughed, and heard Ivar scoff lightly in front of them at the same time.

"Okay, enough," Ubbe said, grabbing his brother's arm. "She needs to sleep." Hvitserk climbed off of her, pouting slightly, and she sat up, breathing much more easily now that his weight was off of her.

Ubbe leaned toward her, giving her a soft kiss. "We'll come back in a few hours. Rest." She nodded at him, closing her eyes as he kissed her once more. When she opened them, she caught Ivar staring at her, and Talia gave him a little wink. He smirked at her this time, before turning away slowly, the clicking sound of his braces retreating as the double doors closed.


	21. XXI

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Talia gets to know Palma, and the Ragnarsson brothers

Something warm and solid edged closer to her as Talia shifted under the covers. It had still been slightly cool, the beginning of summer not having quite arrived.

She paused, consciousness hitting her. _Where am I?_ She wondered, her lids fluttering open. Everything looked just slightly blurry, becoming clearer as Talia blinked forcefully a few times. The room she was in was large, certainly bigger than her living room, the setting rays of the sun shining in through the windows.

Then she remembered arriving at the hotel. Kissing Ubbe in the elevator. Hvitserk climbing over her in greeting. Talia smiled, a sort of giddy feeling tingling in her stomach. She was finally with them again, all three of them. She missed it, having them together like this. She hadn’t realized how much she missed it. Searching haphazardly for her glasses, she realized the source of the warmth came from someone who had joined her on the king size bed.

Talia craned her neck to find Ivar at her side, his larger frame tucked in closely to hers. "Oh, now you wanna say hi?" She whispered.

"I'm not good in front of an audience," he responded lowly, barely moving. She narrowed her eyes then chortled, but Ivar simply turned his head up from the down pillow to look at her.

Talia settled onto her back, the angle of her neck causing an uncomfortable tug. She could still feel him staring even as she looked up at the ceiling, and for some reason, it made her want to laugh. It was a bit endearing, how he could be so guarded - timid, really - around other people. How he hid it with a terse and churlish demeanor. It had bothered her deeply, when they first met. But she could see the little nudges he made toward being more open. They were small steps, infinitesimally so, but he was making them. "You know, that is kind of creepy," she teased, before meeting his gaze head on.

Ivar did not even flinch. He kept on looking at her, unwaveringly. His face was not pleading or vulnerable, but he seemed to want to say so much. Instead, he leaned closer, slowly, giving her the lightest kiss. He then nuzzled his face into her neck, still without a word.

Talia's lip curled. "I missed you too," she said, and felt his own lips shift across her skin into a smile. She looked around the room again, taking it in slowly. There was not much in the space, yet an air of luxury still pervaded. Her eyes landed on the guitar in the corner, and Talia inhaled deeply.

"Ivar?" She tried. He was silent, only turning his head upward again to acknowledge her. "Do you...miss Sigurd?"

"He was my brother," was the given reply, in an almost perfunctory tone.

Talia pursed her lips. "That's not what I asked."

She felt Ivar exhale slowly. "Sigurd and I didn't really get along. He would tease me a lot, when we were younger, and it never really stopped. It got worse, actually. He always had a smart mouth. Always had something to say, even when I learned to fight back."

Talia turned her head to look at him. "Fight back?" Ivar smirked darkly, quirking an eyebrow. She stared, then nodded, catching his meaning. "But don't you wonder what happened to him?"

His face was blank, then shifted slowly toward confusion. "He's dead. What is there to wonder?"

"Is he dead?" Talia asked, turning to face him. "Ubbe said there was no body."

"Ubbe also saw him get shot. So did I. So did Hvitserk. I didn't celebrate his death obviously, but that doesn't change anything. He's still gone."

"Hvitserk was shot too. He's still here. Who's to say Sigurd didn't make it?" She said, her tone low.

Ivar paused, glancing at her sharply. "Why are you so obsessed with him now? You barely know anything about him."

"Isn't that why I am here? To know about all of you? To be a part of your lives?" Talia questioned. "I want that. I want to know you. All of you. All three of you. I want the good and the bad and everything in between. And I'll give you the same. Do you want that?"

Ivar stared at her, blinking a few times. He lowered his gaze, a pensive look on his face, and nodded slowly.

"So I want you. I want you to be happy. And Hvitserk and Ubbe too. I saw how much Ubbe misses Sigurd. Losing your brother was hard for him, especially after what happened to your parents. It hurts to see him like that. You may not feel exactly the same, but you said so yourself - Sigurd is your brother. If there is even then smallest chance that he is alive, shouldn't we look into it?"

"How? How do we even start that? We got Aelle and Ecbert. Who else is there to bring down?" He posed, brow furrowing deeply.

Talia bit her lip, laying her head back on the pillow. "I don't know....I guess, go back to where he was shot?"

"We did that already. There was nothing there," Ivar insisted.

Talia sighed. "I know. But...maybe we could look more closely, find something that was missed."

Ivar scooted toward her, his face centimeters from hers. " _We_ are not doing anything. You're staying out of it," he told her. She stared back at him, pursing her lips defiantly, saying nothing. He stared back, and they sat like that for a while, both practically frozen, before Ivar exhaled sharply. "Fine. I'll talk to my brothers. I'll see what we can do."

Talia gave him a quick peck on the lips, smiling wide. Ivar met her gaze again and leaned in swiftly, catching her mouth with his. He turned their bodies so that he was over her, settling between her legs. Pulling away suddenly, he rose up onto his hands, eyes searching her face intently.

"What?" Talia asked, smiling at him sheepishly. She had grown used to Ivar doing that, observing her wordlessly, but it was still a curious habit of his.

He lowered himself again, resting his head on her chest. "I'm glad you're here," he whispered, and she knew it had taken a lot for him to voice those words. Talia kissed his temple, then ran her fingers through his hair, the strands thick and soft.

* * *

 The next time she woke, Ivar was gone and the sky was filled with shades of blue-black, purple, and just a tinge of yellow-red. Talia climbed out of the bed and stood in front of the windows. The views were still amazing, jetlag granting her the opportunity to see the sun make its entrance. A splashing sound caught her attention, and she followed it to the living room, where she found Hvitserk doing laps in the pool. Talia sat close to the edge, watching as his body cut through the water smoothly. She carefully tucked away every detail of his movements - the flexing of his arm, the curve of his long legs - to sketch later.

He swam up to the side of the pool, dripping water onto the dark teal tile as he leaned toward her. "Wanna come in with me?"

Talia moved closer, just enough so that she would not get wet. "I'm okay. I like watching you instead."

Hvitserk grinned. "Of course you do," he replied smugly. "Can I at least get a good morning kiss?" He inquired, rising onto his arms halfway out of the pool. Talia smiled, then stood carefully to meet him. She knelt, giving him a chaste kiss on the mouth. When she was about to pull away, he grabbed her arm suddenly, and before she could protest, he pulled, bringing her in with him. Talia expected the water to be cool, freezing even, but it was thankfully the right amount of warm. She broke the surface, gasping in air. Hvitserk snaked his arms around her waist from behind, laughing in her ear.

"It's not funny," she scolded, her voice distorted by the water running down her face.

"It's a little funny," he replied, mouthing at her shoulder. He ran his right hand under her tank top, fingers slipping easily across her skin. His thumb glided back and forth across her nipple as his other hand dipped lower into her shorts.

"Hvitserk.." Talia warned softly, but couldn't help leaning her head back onto his shoulder. A small whine escaped her lips while his fingers worked across her body.

"What?" He asked, mock innocence in his tone. "I'm just trying to make you feel comfortable. It was a long flight, wasn’t it?"

"Is that what you say to every girl you throw into the pool?" She teased, her mind clearing a bit, though his fingers still moved on her expertly.

"You're the only one I've ever thrown in here," he whispered jovially, nipping at her neck. "I knew you could handle it. That's why I said you're my favorite. The other girls wouldn't have liked it. They're just...fun in a different way.”

"Who said I liked it?" She asked, before turning and dunking his head into the water. Hvitserk stayed under, swimming toward her quickly and grabbing her legs. Talia gave a shrill yelp and laughed as they play fought, splashing and tackling one another. A door swung up suddenly and Ubbe stepped into the room, looking half asleep and half alarmed. He slumped in relief when he took in the scene.

"I thought you hurt yourself," he said, walking toward them and sitting on one of the plush couches. He was bare chested, in only a pair of pajama pants; his bed head making Talia smile. Ubbe was always so cute when he was sleepy.

"No, your brother was only making sure I was 'comfortable'," she mocked, rolling her eyes. Hvitserk chuckled behind her, and Ubbe gave a small smile.

"Are you hungry?" He asked, rubbing one of his eyes sluggishly. She and Hvitserk both nodded, though Talia was sure Ubbe directed the question to her. It made her grin. She swam to the edge, climbing out carefully. Ubbe walked to her with a towel in his hand, wrapping it around her. It was warm and so soft and she nuzzled her cheek against it. Ubbe rubbed her arms, then hugged her body to his.

"Thank you for inviting me here. It's so beautiful," Talia whispered, tilting her face up to look at him.

"Of course," he responded, brushing the wet strands from her face. "Anything for you."

Talia smiled, stroking her nose against his.

"Can I take you somewhere today?" Ubbe asked quietly. She almost missed his words, Hvitserk’s splashing as he rose from the pool stealing her attention again.

"Where?" She prodded, rising on to the tips of her toes excitedly.

"It's a surprise," he said, his eyes glinting mischievously. "Go change. I'll order food, and then we'll go."

After a shower and a sumptuous breakfast of fresh fruit, a sugary bun made only on the island, and local sausages, Ubbe drove her through the city's streets, and Talia leaned on the windowsill, her eyes trying to capture every detail. When she spotted the cathedral, its gothic nave looming over them, she gasped. Her eyes went wide, and Ubbe chuckled softly.

"This place is amazing," she gushed, "I can't believe you get to come here all the time."

"Yeah, it's nice," he told her, sounding politely indifferent.

"Just nice? Come on. It's so beautiful!"

Ubbe smiled at her, then turned back to the road. He was leading them away from the city now, an expanse of fields and mountains surrounding them. The car followed along a winding road that was etched into the stone above and below them. When the road grew narrower, Talia tried to calm her breathing. She tried not to think about car hitting the rocks, but Ubbe placed a hand on her knee, rubbing his thumb across her skin.

He parked the car suddenly, and got out, jogging to her side to open the door.

"Is this it?" She asked, tugging her skirt as she climbed out. They were on an incline, and Talia looked around to see if there was something of note nearby.

"Almost," Ubbe replied, descending over the side of the road. He turned back and held his hand out for her. Talia followed reluctantly, hoping she wouldn't fall and break a limb.

They ended up in a cave that led to a beach. She could see people, much farther away, but where they were was secluded, covered by overhanging boulders. The water was clear, turning aqua, then a darker blue as it got deeper. It was like nothing she had ever seen before.

"I found this place when my dad was killed. I was...I wasn't sure what I was feeling, so I took Bjorn's car and just drove," Ubbe told her, settling into the sand. Talia sat next to him, kicking her sandals off. "I stopped here, one night. I didn't know where I was going. I just got out and walked down. And this was here. I came back when my mom died. It's...quiet. I don't have to think. I don't have to make sure my brothers are okay. Just for a while, I can sit here, and not think."

Talia reached for his hand, threading her fingers through his. She could always sense the weight he carried on his shoulders; knew how much he wanted to take care of everyone. Even with her, it made her feel guilty at times, how much he gave and asked for nothing in return. She leaned closer, resting her chin on his shoulder.

"Are you sure I should be here then? Sometimes, we need to keep things for ourselves. Not share them with anyone," she posed.

Ubbe turned his head, a semblance of a smile on his lips. "I know. I wanted to bring you here, just once. You said you wanted to know us. So I thought I would start here."

Talia nodded, lifting her eyes to his. He stared back at her, his blue eyes deep.

"I..." he began, turning his whole body towards hers.

She raised her brows, giving him her full attention. Talia felt it again, that he wanted to tell her something important. She squeezed his hand lightly, urging him on. Ubbe lowered his gaze, then flicked his eyes back to her quickly.

"What is it?" She asked, tilting her head.

He opened his mouth, as if ready to continue, but paused sheepishly, biting his lip. "It's...nothing," he said, scratching his beard absentmindedly.

Talia visibly deflated. _Does he still not trust me?_ She wondered. _After everything that's happened?_

"You know I can keep a secret, right? If you want to tell me something, I won't tell anyone," she said, trying to keep her tone even.

"I know," he told her, lying back. He closed his eyes, resting his hands under his head. She stared at him, frustrated, but decided to let it go again. For now. _You will tell me your secret, Ubbe Ragnarsson. I promise you, you will._


	22. XXII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They start to make it official

Talia lost track of time.

They were on the beach for hours. First they lied back, dozing off in the sand. Then they waded into the waves; Ubbe pretending to throw her into the water, but always keeping a firm grip. Talia would shriek, then laugh loudly, her arms tight around his neck. Then they simply walked along the shore, talking. Being normal. And she liked it.

"So you didn't really get to see your dad much?" She inquired, kicking up the clear water with the tips of her toes.

Ubbe shook his head. "Not really. Not as much as other people, I would think. He cared. I know he did. He just....had ambitions. My mom would tell me how hard he worked for everything. People really admired him. Followed him. His mind was so....sharp," he told her, knitting his brows together. "That's where Ivar got it from. The both of them were always two steps ahead of everyone."

Talia nodded. She had noticed it, how perceptive and observant his younger brother was. He didn't put it on display; brag about it. It was just a part of him, something innate.

"But people hated him too. There was always someone new, who disliked him. I guess they were jealous? I have no idea. He wasn't always....I don't know how to describe it. He wanted certain things. Things for his family. That's what drove him. He didn't want to be important or well known. He wanted to meet people, understand their lives. He just wanted to work hard for us to be safe, and happy. But I guess his work caught people's attention."

"What did your dad do?"

"He was in agricultural business. Before he married my mom, he owned a farm. It was small, and he and Bjorn's mom lived there. That's where Bjorn and Gyda were born. My dad started learning about how people farmed in other countries. He was always curious about how other people lived. And eventually they started a business. Livestock, dairy, things like that. It was small, and I'm not really sure how it all works now. But it grew. He started traveling all over the world. And by the time we were all born, he was already successful. But...other things, they sometimes got in the way."

"Like what?" Talia asked.

Ubbe paused for a long time before he spoke again. "I remember, when I was like 9 or 10, we had an au pair. Her name was Yidu. I don't know why she was working as a nanny, because her family was like ours. Probably more well-known, even richer than ours. But for some reason, my mom hired her. She was cool. I remember her voice was always soft. And her eyes. I always remember her eyes. It was like she always knew something you didn’t.

"Anyway, she would take care of us. But sometimes, when my dad was around, they would disappear together. I started to notice it. My mom seemed okay with it for some reason, which I thought was weird. But one time, he took us to Paris, me and Hvitserk, on some business deal. An acquisition or whatever. Sigurd was little, and so was Ivar, so they stayed behind with my mom. He wanted us to see the family business, see things away from home. My mom said we were too young, but he didn't listen. Bjorn came with us, but he was already older, so he did his own thing. And that’s why Yidu came with us too. And one night, I found her and my dad in his office. It was late. Really late. Hvitserk was asleep. But I could hear them."

Talia's heart was pounding. She creased her forehead, worried that he would say what she thought he was going to say. "What were they doing?"

"Drugs," he responded, with a shrug of his shoulder. "They were out of their minds. Laughing and rolling on the floor. I was watching them, and they just looked so stupid to me. I guess I always thought people who were older than me were always...in control. That they knew what they were doing all the time. Bjorn seemed that way, so obviously my dad must have been too. But when I saw them like that...."

"You were disappointed," she finished for him.

"Yeah," Ubbe immediately blurted. "I had never seen my dad as weak. Ever. Everyone says I look just like him, and when I was younger, I wanted to be like him."

"You do. You're almost identical," she said, thinking back to the pictures she saw on the internet. They had the same blue eyes and dark golden hair; the bone structure in both of their faces completely matching. It was uncanny.

"But when I saw him there, with Yidu, I don't know why, but he looked...pathetic to me. I told myself I didn't want to be like that. I didn't want to look the way he did. So tired and lost. He looked....sad."

It all made sense to her now. She knew why Ubbe took on so many burdens. Why he always made sure that everyone around him was okay.

"It's hard, when you realize your parents are human," she said. He looked at her and smiled, nodding slowly. "I used to fight a lot with my mom. She can be very stoic, and wasn't very affectionate with me. She was really hard on me. And it would make me cry. A lot. I didn't understand why she was like that with me. And I would see her with my cousins, and she was always so nice and loving. But she was never like that with me. And it made me hate her for a while. I really thought she didn't love me."

Ubbe made a sound and looked at her incredulously. She laughed at him, but continued.

"She would always tell me to be patient, and not lose my temper, and always keep a level head. I thought she was such a hypocrite, because she would always get mad at me. She wasn’t patient. We would always argue. So one day I told her that. I threw her words back in her face. And you know what she said? She was like, 'Talia, I'm not perfect. Everything I am teaching you, I am learning it too. I am right there with you.'

Ubbe stared at her, his eyes wide and bright. "I don't think I have ever heard either of my parents say something like that."

"I know, right? I was shocked. And since then, I have really tried to see people just as they are. Even myself. We all judge. We all have expectations. But we also forget that we are so flawed. I kept seeing my mom as 'Mom'," she said with a low, exaggerated voice. "As this all knowing person who could never mess up. That wasn't fair. She was Petra way before she was Mom. So, since then, I've tried to keep that in mind. Nobody is perfect. We're all learning. And we'll get frustrated and angry with each other. But we have to learn, you know? That’s life."

"Well, I have learned some things," he told her.

"What have you learned?" Talia inquired, grinning at him.

"That you’re perfect. You're perfect to me," Ubbe replied, threading his fingers through hers.

Her smile turned self-conscious. "I'm not perfect."

"You may not think so. But I do. Hvitserk does. I know Ivar does."

"Were you listening to anything I just said?" She teased, shoving at his shoulder. He let her push him, laughing, and then lunged forward to hug her. He kissed her cheek, then buried his face into her neck.

"We should go back," he told her.

"Yeah. The sun is starting to go down."

"I don't want to. I want to stay here, with you. I never wanna go back."

Talia turned her head to look at him. She ran her fingers through his hair and kissed him, soft and warm. "I would stay here with you."

Ubbe smiled and kissed her once more, before rising from the sand. He helped her up, and they found their way back to the car, the setting rays tinting everything pink. She held his hand as they talked more. He told more about Bjorn, and his mother, Lagertha. How no nonsense the woman was. He mentioned one his father's best friends, Floki, who was practically family, and Siggy, another old friend, who had sadly passed away.

"She was like our second mom. My uncle Rollo was really messed up after that. But he seems better now. I think he misses being with us, but his wife doesn't like Sweden too much." Ubbe said.

"Where is she from?" Talia asked.

"France. Hvitserk and Bjorn went to visit him once. They said she was interesting."

Talia knew that was code for something else, but she didn't pry. She told him instead about her many cousins. How she had visited them every summer during her breaks, and spoke with them constantly via e-mail and text. She mentioned her grandmother, Aira. "I don't get to see her much, but I love her. She visits us sometimes, but she doesn't speak English, so it makes her miss home. She can be so clueless sometimes, but then says something so wise, and I'm like, 'Where did that come from?' She's really funny."

"She sounds it. I would like to meet her," Ubbe said, gripping her hand tighter.

"She would love you. I know she would," Talia said, making him smile.

* * *

By the time they made it back to the hotel, it was mostly dark. They rode up the elevator to the suite, and when they entered, Hvitserk was waiting for them, impeccably dressed.

 "What's the occasion?" She asked, tilting her head.

"You," he replied, standing to meet them. "We're going out. Get dressed."

"But I don't have anything nice to wear," she said, looking at her sandy clothes.

"I took care of that. Go get ready," Hvitserk told her with a smirk. Talia gave Ubbe a look, and he only shrugged and smiled. She turned slowly and walked to Sigurd's room, flicking the lights on. The room was bathed in a soft glow, and on the bed was a dress.

At first glance it looked simple, but when Talia got closer, she saw the asymmetrical hem, and the matching cut out across the front, made to look like a zipper. The straps were thin, and the material was soft, a rich maroon hue, but still sturdy and stretchy. She smiled. _How did he know I would like this? And how did he know my size again?_ She wondered.

Talia undressed, walking to the large bathroom to wash away the sand and salt on her skin. When she emerged, she noticed more things on the bed: a pair of golden strappy heels, and the most exquisite earrings she had ever seen in person. The posts were raw pearls, and the backings were gold horns with pointed tips that would hang low below her lobes.

She got ready quickly, parting her hair to the side, and donning everything Hvitserk had left for her. When she emerged from the room, all three brothers sat on the couches, fiddling with their phones. They looked up as she walked toward them, her heels clicking on the floor.

Hvitserk grinned hungrily when his gaze landed on her. Ubbe looked awed, his lips tugging upward a bit. And Ivar did a double take, his eyes roaming up and down her body.

Her eyes trailed over them as well, appreciating how they cleaned up. Ubbe had on a crisp shirt, the material snug and outlining his lean frame. His hair and beard were neatly combed and Talia thought he looked so handsome. Ivar wore a navy sweater that looked expensive, and his eyes were electric against the shade. Dark strands hung casually in his face, making him look like a model. Hvitserk had put on a sleek blazer, his hair slicked back, and was striking. He looked dark and enigmatic, in the most enticing way.

"You all look so pretty," she told them, smiling wide.

"You look-" Hvitserk began.

"Amazing," Ubbe cut off, standing in front of her. Talia chuckled softly, ducking her head.

"Where are we going?" She asked, tapping one of her heels on the marble floor.

"You'll see," Hvitserk told her, placing a warm hand at the small of her back. He led her toward the elevator, Ubbe and Ivar following behind them. It was quiet as they rode to the ground floor, but then she caught Ivar's gaze. His eyes held hers, unreadable, before looking away quickly. Yet, as they climbed into the car, she caught him again, his eyes still latched on to her as the car moved.

The ride was relatively short, and they arrived at a white nondescript building. "What is this place? Are we the only ones here?" Talia prodded.

"So many questions," Hvitserk teased. "It's the side entrance. Makes it easier to get in and out without being seen."

She was about to ask why they would not want to be seen when Ivar leaned in close. "Paparazzi. They can get annoying," he informed her. She nodded slowly, following them inside.

It was dark, in the hallway, but as they kept walking, she could feel a heavy bass. They were in a club, Talia realized.

It was huge. There were multiple floors, each illuminated with a different neon glow. The uppermost part of the building was open, with an outdoor deck. It had large white sofas and glass tables, and gave everyone amazing views of the city. Hvitserk led them up, the best spot on the deck reserved just for them.

Talia watched everyone silently. They were all well dressed and laughing, drinking and enjoying whatever it was the DJ was playing.

"Do you want a drink?" Hvitserk asked her over the music. She nodded, hoping to calm her nerves. He called one of the servers over. She was tall, with full lips and long, auburn hair falling in waves downs her back. She smiled as she walked over to their table.

"Hola, guapo. I haven't seen you in a while," she greeted, her voice sultry and smooth. She leaned down to kiss Hvitserk on the either cheek. He ordered for all of them, but Talia tuned him out, lying back onto the seat. She closed her eyes, focusing on the light breeze that blew across her skin.

"You're anxious," she heard in her ear, and turned to find Ivar again. He studied her face carefully. "Why?"

"I just didn't expect there to be so many people. This place is really big," she told him, tucking her hair behind her ear. "And I'm still a bit jetlagged, I guess. It puts me on edge."

He said nothing, only lifted a finger to trace the edge of the cut out on her dress.

"Wanna borrow it?" She teased, and he gave her an amused look.

"I'd rather take it off of you," he said lowly, trailing his hand over her exposed skin. She smirked, watching as his eyes followed the movements of his palm.

The server finally returned with their drinks, and Hvitserk handed her a highball glass filled with something slightly turbid. Talia took a sip, tasting lavender, lime, and a bit of honey mixed in with gin.

"You like it?" Hvitserk asked, wrapping an arm around her waist. She smiled and nodded before leaning her head on his shoulder, feeling a bit more at ease. A group of dancers had made their way to the floor, wearing bright makeup and barely-there costumes. Talia observed them, admiring their look. The DJ played [something more upbeat](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTYMHYG5P9E), and the group moved to the music, sidling up to the other club goers, who eagerly joined them.

Another beautiful girl, in a high ponytail and iridescent bra top, approached them, holding her hand out to Talia. She grinned timidly, but took the girl's hand. As soon as she stood the dancer was all over her, trailing her fingers along her waist and arms, laughing and whooping in her ear.

Talia leaned back into the girl, mimicking the rhythm of her hips as they moved to the music. The dancer said something to her, but she could not hear it over the pounding of the music.

"What?" She asked, turning to face the girl, her body still moving to match hers.

"You dance well," the girl shouted, an accent in her tone. "Your boyfriend and his friends are watching you still, like they all want to eat you."

She turned. All three brothers were eyeing her, not trying at all to hide their salacious gazes. Talia smiled, reaching up to graze her palm up the girl's neck. The alcohol must have been strong; she was feeling much lighter than before, a buzz settling nicely across her skin.

"They're my boyfriends," she blurted, turning to wrap her arms around the dancer's neck.

"Boyfriends? ¿Los trés?" She asked, placing her palms on Talia's waist. She nodded, a stupid grin on her face. "And they are okay, sharing you?"

"Yeah!" She replied eagerly. “They are completely fine with it!”

"Qué chulo," the girl said, her dark green eyes wide. "You are lucky. They are all so handsome. I would not choose one either!"

Talia laughed loudly as the dancer grabbed her hand and twirled her. When she let go, Hvitserk stood before her, looking down with a smile. He grabbed her waist and drew her into him. "Having fun?"

She turned to wave at the girl, who waved back and winked. "I am now. I told her you guys were my boyfriends," she replied giddily. "She thought it was cool."

Hvitserk tilted his head, his smile widening. "So it's official? We're your boyfriends now?"

"If you all want to be," she said, running her hands up his chest and gliding her hips side to side. He watched her, his eyes clearly appreciating the display.

"Well, I want you," he affirmed, leaning in close.

"Good," Talia said, grinning and leading him into the throng.


	23. XXIII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mini check ins with each of the brothers =)

 "You like that?"

Hvitserk was teasing her. Her dress was pushed up to her chest, and her underwear had long been discarded. He was upright, on his knees, ramming his cock in and out of her on one of the couches. Talia held back a whine, biting down on her lip.

She had enjoyed the club. The tension had eventually left her shoulders, and she had lost herself in the loud thumping of the music, various hands roaming over her body. She didn't pay attention to them, only writhed with whomever was close. 

But she knew. Talia could always tell who it was, even without looking. They all held her differently, touched her in particular ways. Soft, or curious, or needy, or rough. They were all different. And they were all hers.

Ubbe and Ivar sat on the other couches, watching.

"Pull her hair," Ivar said, licking his lips. "She likes that."

Hvitserk ran his fingers up her nape, tugging at her roots as he kept thrusting into her.

"No. Harder," Ivar said, shaking his head. "That's too gentle."

Hvitserk snapped back, saying something she assumed was in Swedish. Whatever he had retorted made Ivar chuckled, but her attention was brought back to her own body, as Hvitserk pushed in more harshly. She made a high-pitched noise, turning her head and finding Ubbe's eyes. A peculiar little smile covered his face, the shadows of the low light making his cheekbones look even sharper than they usually did.

Hvitserk moved faster, his hands digging into her side as he came. She panted as he withdrew from her, hanging her head between her shoulders.Talia started to pull her dress down, but Ivar stopped her, suddenly at her side.

"What do you think you're doing?" He asked, low and deep in her ear. She turned her head slightly, meeting his eye. "We're not done with you yet." 

He grabbed her arm, leading her to where Ubbe sat. Ivar stood behind her, tugging and adjusting her dress down her torso and legs. Then he pulled at the zipper and slid it off her body, leaving her completely naked. Ubbe leaned back on the couch, gazing up at her with lust-filled eyes.

"Get on top of him," Ivar ordered behind her, then walked to the other couch and sat next to Hvitserk. Ubbe undid his pants, his eyes never straying from her.

"Come here," he urged, grabbing her hip hard. Talia climbed over him, his cock sliding against soaked folds. She moaned softly, eyes closing, and Ubbe smirked up at her. He grabbed one of the condoms that had been strewn through across the couches when they arrived and tore it open. Talia took it from his hands and slid it on him. She rose up onto her knees and lowered her body slowly, digging her nails into the skin of his shoulder.

Ubbe stared up at her, his pupils blown wide. "I love....seeing you like this, riding my cock," he panted, sitting up to mouth at her breasts. Talia ground her hips over his eagerly, cradling his head in her arms. She kissed at his temple, whimpering and murmuring to him softly. 

It always felt like the first time when she was with Ubbe. There was a kind of familiarity, but it still felt brand new; heated and soothing and all consuming. Talia moved faster over him, hugging him tighter and moaning deeply. Ubbe kissed her skin, holding her waist with an iron grip.

"Come for me," he pleaded, pulling away to look into her eyes again. Talia lowered her lips to his, kissing him hard as her body tensed and rippled while she continued to ride him. Ubbe followed a few moments after her, pulling at her hair lightly.

Talia slumped over his chest, breathing hard into his neck. She felt him trailing his hand across her bare back and nuzzled into him more, enjoying the warmth of his skin. 

Ubbe pulled out of her and adjusted himself, before standing. He carried her in his arms, kissing and nibbling at her neck while he walked. Talia felt something wet at her back and opened her eyes; she was in one of the bathrooms, Ubbe lowering her into the tub. The water was just right, and she sighed and lolled her head. Ubbe kissed her one last time, smiling softly before leaving. Talia scooted under the water, dipping her head back. Her body felt like honey, so pliant and soft. It was amazing.

After scrubbing herself clean, she left the bathroom and found Hvitserk lying on the bed.

"So this is your room," she said, walking toward him. He nodded, giving her a wide grin. She lied next to him, tucking her face into his neck. "You smell nice." He only chuckled, draping an arm around her frame.

He sighed suddenly, then inhaled audibly. "You remind me of someone I used to know," he murmured to her after a while.

"Yeah?" She piped up, shifting her head to look at him. "Who?"

Hvitserk twisted his mouth. "She was...she used to work for my mom. One of the kindest people I have ever met."

 "What was her name?" Talia asked.

"Doesn't matter now. But she was smart. And warm. Like you," he whispered, trailing his fingers over the skin of her arm.

"You miss her," she stated.

"Yes," he admitted, clearing his throat. "But I don't think I will ever see her again. She deserved so much. Everything. I don't know if I could have given her that."

 Talia scoffed. "Are you serious? Of course you could have."

"I don't need you to flatter me," Hvitserk said, laughing again.

"Trust me, that's not my forte," she replied, smirking. "But I'm being honest. I don't think you realize how much love you have inside of you. It's so obvious; the way you look at people, how happy you are when you're around them. I wouldn't trade that for anything. That girl must have been in heaven when she was with you."

Talia looked up at him. Hvitserk blinked up at the ceiling, trying to suppress a smile. She leaned forward and kissed his cheek, then shuffled closer to him. She focused on the pace of his breathing and the way his heart pounded in his chest. The two rhythms calmed her, easing her off into a gentle sleep.

* * *

 

She was still lying on his chest when she woke. His skin was blazing, and she sat up, fanning her hands to cool herself. 

It wasn't yet morning, the sky still filled with twinkling lights. Talia eased herself off of the bed smoothly and walked to Sigurd's room. She saw a figure lying in front of the windows and decided to investigate, after she found some clothes to put on. 

"Couldn't sleep?" She whispered, recognizing Ivar as she approached. He blinked at her then shook his head. Talia crawled over him, lying over his frame with straddled legs.

"My legs were hurting," he said lowly, turning his head to look through the windows again. Her heart immediately started to pound.

"Shit. I'm sorry. Do you want me to get off?" She asked, shifting over him carefully. Ivar grabbed her hips and settled them back over his, without even turning his head toward her. Talia furrowed her brow, but then lowered herself again slowly. He ran his palms up and down her thighs absentmindedly, the skin of his hands warm and slightly rough.

"Do you know anything about a girl Hvitserk used to see?" She asked, her lips brushing against his neck.

"He used to see a lot of girls. You'll have to be more specific," Ivar replied.

"She worked for your mom?"

"Oh. Elin. What about her?"

"What was she like?" Talia questioned, running her hands up into his hair.

"Nice," he began. "She was nice to everyone, even Sigurd. She was really smart. I always saw her reading a book or journal. Knew a lot of things. Kind of anxious, but still had everything under control. And she really loved Hvitserk."

"How do you know?"

"It was obvious. No one paid any attention, except for me and my dad. But she was always staring at him, and had this stupid smile on her face. And she was polite with everyone, but she went out of her way for my brother, when she had no reason to, really. I heard her on the phone one time, ordering some drink that he liked that they didn't sell in Sweden. He had mentioned it once, when we were all in my mom's office. And she got it for him, even though he didn't ask her to."

"So they broke up?"

"She quit, and left. Felt bad about not telling my mom what was going on."

Talia nodded, biting at her bottom lip. "He misses her."

"I don't think he will ever fully get over her. She was the only girl he had ever committed to. Besides you," he stated, turning his head to meet her gaze.

Talia blinked, then lowered her eyes. "Sad," she murmured. Ivar said nothing, simply kept running his hands over her skin. They lied like that for a while, Talia's eyes drifting closed, until she sat up suddenly, a wide smile on her face.

"I have something for you," she said, before climbing off of him and running to the bedroom. She searched through her bag until she found her iPod and shuffled back to the windows, straddling him again.

"I finally made you a playlist," she told him, handing Ivar the earbuds. Talia saw his lips curve upward just a bit, and she giggled as she searched through the songs. "[This one](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAJgs1P-uUE) reminded me of you."

She hit play, and watched him as he listened. Ivar blinked as the song played, then furrowed his brow. Talia sat over him, hands on his chest, trying to gauge what he was thinking. Eventually he raised his eyes to hers, giving her just a hint of a smirk on his face. Ivar's hand shot out abruptly, grabbing her neck. He brought her mouth to his, kissing her softly. Talia smiled against his lips, then laid her head back on his chest as he kept listening.

"Have you ever loved someone?" She asked suddenly. He was quiet for a long time, and she called his name, thinking he hadn't heard her. Sitting up, she saw his eyes were open, and focused.

"Did you hear what I said?" She prodded, tilting her head. 

"Yeah," he said, looking away. 

She lowered herself over his chest again. "So have you?" Talia asked again casually.

"No," he replied quickly, but she could feel his heart beating. It thumped rapidly in her ear, despite his easy breathing.


	24. XXIV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been a long time. I shouldn't have left you. Anyway, this is weird chapter, but hopefully enjoyable. I felt bad about not updating in so long, so I just decided to put something out. I tried to make it a little longer, to compensate for not putting something out in so long. Let me know what you think!

It felt like so many hours had passed since they had drifted off to sleep, but when Talia checked her iPod, she realized it was barely seven in the morning.  
  
She was still lying over Ivar, the side of her face flat against his broad chest. It expanded with every breath he took, and Talia simply listened to the smooth rhythm. She ran her palms up his arms to his neck, to feel at the smooth, warm skin there. Ivar responded immediately, though he was still sleeping. A rumbling sound grew from his chest, low and content, and he slowly trailed his hands up her thighs, overlapping his forearms just above the swell of her ass.  
  
"Ivar," she called, smiling slightly. He did not move, only kept breathing deeply. She raised her head to look at him. His features were completely relaxed, his skin smooth as always and just a bit tan. Talia still could not register the fact that he looked the way he did. He was so beautiful to her, like someone had painstakenly taken the time to shape every fine detail of him: the sharpness of his jaw; the almost exaggerated curve of his lip; the planes of his nose.  
  
Ivar's brothers were handsome, in a masculine, rugged way. But he was...pretty, Talia thought. She only imagined what he would say to her if she said it out loud, but it was no less true. Ivar was art to her, come to life.   
  
Talia dove her fingers through his hair gently, calling his name again. He made a sharp noise in his throat and furrowed his brow.   
  
"Let's go to your room," she whispered, planting a light kiss on his cheek.  
  
"'m fine here," he mumbled with closed eyes.  
  
"The floor is hard. You'll be more comfortable on your bed," she replied, sitting up straight.  
  
"You always wake me up," he whined, sounding like a child.   
  
"And you never let me sleep," Talia told him, raising one of her brows. He opened one eye to look up at her, and she smiled suggestively. She lowered herself over him again slowly, grinding her hips into his as she did so. "Are you sure you don't wanna go to your room? You can not let me sleep there."  
  
She nibbled his neck and ear, smiling as he gripped her waist tightly. Talia rose off of him gently, holding his hand to lead him to his room. Ivar stood carefully and followed, his braces clicking softly in the slight darkness.   
  
She could not see clearly when they entered his room, but she could make out that it felt lived in. He was not messy, but his space felt comfortable, and Talia liked it immediately. She wondered what his room in Sweden looked like. She wondered if they all still lived together, or had their own places. Talia realized she would have to ask, would have to know these things about them, now that they were all together.  
  
Crawling onto the bed she turned to face him.  "Do you sleep in your braces a lot?" She asked, folding her knees under herself. She always fell asleep before he did, and never actually saw him take them off or put them on. That was another thing she wanted to be familiar with. He either had them on or off, and did not touch them in front of her. Ivar paused next to her on the bed, not meeting her eyes.  
  
"No," he said, low and quick, then lied down slowly.  
  
Talia blinked, then swallowed. "Do you want me to take them off for you then?"  
  
Ivar was still for a while, then turned his head to look at her. "Why would you want to?"  
  
She made a face, her lips pulling upward. "Because I want you to be comfortable. Unless you don't want me to. That's fine. I just want you to feel okay."  
  
Ivar stared at her, his face looking slightly unreadable. "Okay," he told her. He sat up groggily, and reached to unfasten them. Talia moved forward, following the movement of his fingers. She had never touched him like this.   
  
A small smile tugged at her lips. Talia was happy that he was allowing her to do so, that he was starting to trust her enough to finally acknowledge this part of himself between them.  
  
When they finally got them off, she ran her hands up and down his thighs gently, nuzzling her nose to his. She hoped deep down that he did not feel like she was patronizing him, especially after what Ubbe told her so many months ago. Talia wanted him to be completed comfortable with her, open up to her about everything. But only when he was ready.  
  
"Why are you so..." he began, moving his lips to find hers.  
  
"So what?" She prodded.  
  
"So...good to me?" Ivar finished, gripping her neck gently. He kissed her softly, as if holding back.  
  
"Well, you're finally letting me," Talia joked, shifting to sit in his lap.  
  
"I don't..." he began, looking away from her.  
  
Talia pulled back, a queasy feeling in her stomach. "Please don't say you don't know why I would ever want to."   
  
"We were not exactly friendly when we first met," he whispered, meeting her gaze.  
  
"Because you were being a jerk. But I still tried with you. I wanted you to feel good. I wanted you to be okay. And I still want that," Talia explained, her brow furrowing as she looked back at him. "I care about you. A lot. You know that, right?"  
  
Ivar looked at her, then laid his forehead on her shoulder, kissing the skin that was bare. Talia turned her head, and their lips brushed against one anothers'. She kissed him, full on and eager, just as he had done so many times before. Reaching under his shirt, Talia grazed her nails across his skin, loving the way his muscles rippled under her touch. She tugged his shirt up over his head and trailed kisses across his jaw and neck, his skin warm and soft.  
  
Talia pushed him back onto the bed gently and pulled off her own shirt, smiling down at him in the dark. She draped her torso over his, running her hands through his hair as she kissed him again. Ivar wrapped his arms around her, his fingers digging into the waistband of her shorts.  
  
Talia sat up again, moving and adjusting so she could reach to pull at his own pants. "Do you have a condom?"  
  
He turned his head toward the door, and her eyes followed the movement. She moved off of him carefully and walked out of the room, leaning over one of the couches to grab a square of plastic. Talia tore it open as she made her way back to him. She shed her shorts quickly before moving over him again, rolling the plastic over him gently.  
  
Grabbing at him, Talia lined him up to her and she sunk down slowly, wiggling her hips from side to side to adjust herself. Ivar reached for her waist as he looked up at her, his fingers digging hard into her skin. She moved over him, biting her lip as she stared back down at him.  
  
His eyes were wide, and so blue in the growing light. Talia suddenly realized how cheesy it was, to be having sex as the sun rose, but quickly pushed the thought out of her mind. She grabbed his hands and brought them to her chest, desperate to feel him touch her. Her eyes drifted close as they roamed, large and warm all over her. She felt his fingers drift to her neck as they kept moving, and he pulled, bringing her face to his.  
  
Ivar kissed her hard, and never stopped moving into her. He flipped them over suddenly, so that she was under him, and she smiled. He always seemed to have the need to take over; she didn't mind it though.  
  
Talia stared up at him, the smile still faint on her lips.  
  
"What?" He whispered, pausing for a second.  
  
"Nothing," she said, reaching up to brush his hair back. "I'm just glad I'm here."  
  
"Yeah, sure," he replied, sitting up to pull her hips to his. "I'll give you a reason to..." he trailed off.  
  
Talia chuckled softly as he moved again, his pace picking up. Her smile faded as his own formed on his lips, dark and wicked. Ivar's hand slithered its way between their bodies, and her back arched as soon as he started to touch her. He sniggered as he watched her, moving his thumb maddeningly slow over her clit, then speeding up, then slowing down again. It was random, no real rhythm to his movements that she could discern, but was still driving her crazy.  
  
Talia shuddered and stiffened, then opened her eyes. Ivar was still moving in and out and on her, his eyes focused and narrowed. She bit her lip again, but kept still, trying to deprive him of any satisfaction from her reactions.   
  
She liked finding new ways to tease him, ways to see his facade crack. Ivar furrowed his brow when he noticed her unmoving under him, and Talia smirked. His face went blank, then he reached down and grabbed her shoulders, flipping her over. Her heart started to beat even faster, scared and excited about what he would do to her.  
  
She started to rise up onto her palms, but Ivar shoved her back down, keeping his hand at her back. His other one pulled at her hip, pushing himself deeper into her. Talia whimpered at the harsh thrust, squeezing her eyes shut. Ivar withdrew slowly and pushed into her again, and started to move faster.  
  
Talia whined, bending her back slightly, and he buried his hand into her hair, making a fist to pull at her roots. Ivar turned his hand so that their eyes could meet.  
  
"You like toying with me, huh?" He asked, his voice low and harsh. It made her stomach twist, hearing him like that.  
  
"Yeah," she responded, high-pitched and breathy.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Yes," she said again. Talia hated her tone, how young and girlish she sounded, but she had no control over herself. He touched her again, his fingers slick from her, and she cried out, her hands scrambling across the sheets.  
  
Ivar chuckled again, still pleasing her. No matter how many times she tried to get him to break down, it was always she who did so. Talia found his hand on her nape and grasped it as she came, hard. Her body shook as he kept slidding in and out of her relentlessly and shuffling his fingers over her. She sobbed, her eyes shedding tears.  
  
His rhythm stuttered and Ivar tightened his grip on her hair as he followed her. They were still, the only sounds she heard were their breaths puffing out, loud and ragged. He slumped next to her, both sticky and sweaty and still breathing hard. Talia turned her head to look at him, bringing her hand to his face.   
  
She brushed her thumb across his cheek, smiling at him. He stared back at her, leaning into her touch. His lids started to close, and she leaned in, kissing him softly. Talia stood carefully and cleaned them up, smiling softly as she watched him sleep.

* * *

"So am I ever gonna get to visit you guys in Sweden? See where you all grew up? Meet Bjorn?"  
  
Ivar, Hvitserk, and Ubbe all paused. Talia looked between them, a small smile forming on her mouth.   
  
They were eating dinner at some upscale restaurant. Talia almost protested, feeling out of place in her casual clothes, but Ubbe had told her that they knew the owner, so they would be in a private room.   
  
"I'm not demanding you guys pay for it or anything. I'm just curious to see your home, see where you all are from," she told them, taking a bite of food.  
  
"Of course," Ubbe replied easily, sitting up in his chair. "You can come see us, all of us can meet your parents, it'll be good."  
  
Talia's smile widened as she chewed. She nodded, wiping her mouth. "Okay."  
  
"Okay," he agreed, tilting his chin upward and smiling.  
  
"So....." Hvitserk piped up, clearing his throat. "How is this...all going to work?" He asked, circling his hand among them.  
  
"It works however we want it to," she said, tilting her head. "I like being with all of you. I hope you like being with me. I would hope that we will all be honest with one another, about what we are feeling."  
  
"Honest," Ivar echoed, keeping his gaze low.  
  
"Yeah," Talia said. "Like, if one of us doesn't like something that is going on, then we bring it up with everyone, and we talk about it. It's that simple. We just need to talk to each other."   
  
"I have something to bring up," Hvitserk blurted, raising his hand. Talia raised her eyebrows, encouraging him.  
  
"Your feet are really cold in the morning, and you have this habit of trying to get warm, but then you make me cold, with your freezing feet, and I just can't deal with that, I'm sorry."  
  
Ubbe smacked his brother on the arm, and Talia rolled her eyes, laughing softly. "Okay, anything that is actually serious?"  
  
"I..." Ubbe began. "Are you okay with all of this? Are you okay with telling your family about us?"  
  
Talia sighed. "I'm not sure how I'll word everything, but I will have to figure it out. If I want this, it's on me to figure it out."  
  
Ubbe nodded, still looking pensive.  
  
"I'm not ashamed, if that's what you're asking. I've just never done this before. I just need to know how it all works. That's what we're doing now," she said to them, tugging at her hair.   
  
Before she could say anything else, a tall man entered the room, bald and tattooed and skinny. Talia stared as he cackled hysterically at the boys, and they rose to meet him, laughing and smiling widely.   
  
"What are you doing here?" Hvitserk asked, patting the man on the back.  
  
"I'm surprising you," he said, his eyes wide and voice jovial. He mussed Ubbe's hair after hugging him and kissed Ivar's temple, keeping an arm around him. "Who is this?"  
  
They all turned to follow his gaze toward Talia. She stood carefully and smiled, unsure of what she should do.  
  
"That's Talia," Ivar told him, as if that explained everything.  
  
"Talia," the man said, approaching her slowly. "It is a pleasure, Talia. I am Floki."  
  
"Hello," she said, extending her hand formally. Floki smiled down at her, then slapped her hand away. She frowned, fearing she had offended him, but then he was wrapping his arms around her, easily lifting her off her feet. Her eyes widened, but she relaxed as they all laughed.  
  
Floki set her on her feet again, tilting his head he observed her. "How do you know these fools, Talia?"  
  
She blinked, and looked at all three brothers. Ubbe stepped foward.  
  
"We are with her," he said, looking completely calm.  
  
"Yes, I see that. But how do you know each other?"  
  
"We are all with her, Floki," Ivar said, using his brother's words. Something about how he said it suddenly made it click, and Floki's eyes widened a bit. Talia watched him, and he seemed pleasantly surprised.   
  
"So you have all learned to share," he said, his tone amused. "Not exactly like your father, but close enough." Talia wondered what he meant, and filed that thought away for later, to ask one of them.  
  
"Are you enjoying the food, Talia?" Floki asked, his spindly fingers drumming across the cloth of the table.  
  
"I am," she replied, slightly confused as to why he would care.  
  
"Floki owns the restaurant," Hvitserk said, catching her look.  
  
"Oh!" Talia said. "Yes. Thank you...for..."  
  
Floki waved his hand, then adjusted the collar to what looked like an expensive blazer. "Anything for family." Talia nodded, smiling slightly. She was close enough to see the dark tattoos on Floki's head, noticing that they were similar to the designs she had seen at the hotel.  
  
"How is Iceland, Floki?" Ubbe asked, leading the man away from the table. The four of them left the room, leaving Talia alone. At first, she thought nothing of it, but the longer they left her alone, the more she fidgeted. _What are they doing?_  A small sliver of guilt coursed through her. They were probably catching up, probably had not seen each other in a while. But why did they need to catch up away from her? Where they talking about something she couldn't hear? She kept checking her phone, and after forty-five minutes, she stood to find them. As her hand landed on the knob, Ivar pushed back in, his brothers behind him. Talia stepped back, surprised.  
  
"Missed us?" Hvitserk said, leading her back to the table.   
  
Talia said nothing, only sat back down. She had way more questions now, after meeting this Floki, and hoped that they would finally answer them.


	25. XXV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> God. This is long overdue. But I'm getting back into it. This chapter as weird, but it's done. Finally.

"So that was Floki," Talia said as they all entered the suite. He had joined them for a bit after they returned from their talk, his curious eyes roaming over her as they all spoke. She would hold his gaze, willing herself not to be uncomfortable though they had only just met. Floki's not-quite-full lips quirked up slightly every time he looked away. He hugged Talia again when he left them, patting her back warmly.

Ivar looked back, gazing at her for a second, and nodded. A smile was now tugging at his lips.

"He seems...interesting," Talia mentioned, sitting on one of the couches as the settled in for the night.

"That's an understatement," Hvitserk replied, and Ivar shot him a look. His brother only grinned, walking backwards into his room. 

"So he does business, like your dad?" She asked, resting her head on the back of the seat. 

"He is an engineer. Builds all kinds of boats and canals and things," Ubbe informed her. He stood behind her and ran his fingers through her strands. She closed her eyes, enjoying the touch.

"But he owns a restaurant?"

"He and his wife came here with Bjorn when the hotel was first built. Helga liked it here, a lot. Always talked about coming back, maybe moving here. But then there was an accident. Floki bought the restaurant because they had a dessert that was her favorite. He said he bought it to keep a piece of her here," Ubbe told her quickly, not meeting her eyes.

Talia nodded sadly. She had thought the name of the place was pretty. _Helga_. Now she understood.

Ivar sat next to her on the couch, his hand a few inches from her own. Talia watched as he reached over slowly and wrapped his fingers around hers timidly. She smiled, squeezing his hand back. Suddenly, Hvitserk ran out of his room in a pair of swim trunks and jumped into the pool, splashing all of them with water. Ubbe chuckled softly and Ivar rolled his eyes, brushing a hand across his face. Talia watched the three of them, a bittersweet feeling nestling in her chest.

"I don't wanna leave," she murmured. Talia was dreading the day after tomorrow.

"Then don't," Ubbe said. "Stay here with us." Ivar shot her a quick glance, as if he hoped she would agree with his brother. 

"I have to get back to my job," Talia replied, tugging at her hair. "I have to get back to my life."

"We're a part of your life now, too," Ivar said next to her. "You can stay." 

Talia sighed. She wanted to. She really did. But she also did miss her job. Her family. Her friends, whom she rarely saw now. She needed to really think about how this would all work out.

"How about I come visit you guys at your house next?" She said, catching Ivar's gaze, then tilting her head up to look at Ubbe. She had mentioned it at dinner. Why not make it happen?

"Yeah!" She heard from the pool. Hvitserk had paused his swimming, nodding enthusiastically in their direction.

"Okay. I'll buy you a ticket," Ubbe told her, tucking some hair behind her ear.

"No. I said you didn't have to pay for it," she argued.

"Yes, but I never said I wouldn't," he shot back, his lip curling. She tsked, shaking her head, and he laughed as he walked away. Talia lied her head back down on the back of the couch, her eyes meeting Ivar's again. He studied her silently, his grip on her hand still strong.

"You seemed happy to see Floki," she said to him.

"Yeah. I hadn't seen him in a long time," he responded, watching their intertwined fingers.

"Were you close?"

"Yeah," Ivar said immediately. "I saw him more than I saw my dad. Ubbe and Hvitserk knew Ragnar better, because they are older. But when my dad was gone, Floki was there, when he could be. Sometimes it seemed like he was the only one who could understand me."

Talia nodded at him. She then moved closer to him, and he ducked his head sheepishly. She grinned at him, leaning forward to kiss his cheek. Ivar smiled softly, rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand.

"What about you?" He questioned suddenly. Talia's eyebrows rose at the random question. 

"What about me?"

"You always ask us things, but you don't share as much."

"Well...what do you wanna know?"

Ivar finally raised his gaze; stared at her for a moment. "Tell me anything." He paused. "Something you've never told anyone else before."

She looked back at him, the corner of her lip curling upwards. The look on his face was caught somewhere between pleading and guarded. Like he desperately wanted her to confide in him and only him, yet was too afraid to say so outright. 

But Talia could see that he was trying. He was nervous and fumbling, but he was trying, and a sweet ache settled in her chest. 

She liked it when Ivar was domineering and in control. When he would go to the edge of being wicked, but not tip over, as he tended to do when they first met. He did not rein it in exactly, but seemed to mold and shift that part of himself to her liking. Now he was doing something new, something foreign to him, but it made her heart swell to know that he was still trying to be open, when she knew how much he loathed doing so.

"Sometimes," she began, whispering close in his ear, "I think about what would happen if I just disappeared. Just left and never came back without saying a word. Like if I sold all my things and bought a car and just drove off to nowhere. I wonder if peole would really miss me. Or, like, would I even miss them? Could I really just live alone, completely at ease and -"

"You can't do that," Ivar cut her off sharply. His brows were knit together and his nostrils flared as he stared back at her.

Talia paused, leaning back a bit and raising an eyebrow. "Why not?"

He blinked, then seemed to compose himself. "You just can't."

"You mean it's not possible? Or I'm not allowed?" She tried to clarify, her voice slightly teasing. He mumbled something, looking through the windows to avoid meeting her eyes.

"What was that?" She proded again.

"You're not allowed, okay?" He said. "You can't leave m- us, like that," he correctly quickly, still avoiding her eyes.

She grinned, reaching a hand up to run through his hair. Ivar still stared out of the window, now looking petulant. Talia laughed softly and nuzzled his neck with her nose. "Would you miss me?"

"My brothers would," he immediately replied, emphasizing the second word.

"I know," she singsonged. "But would you? That's what I asked. 

Ivar exhaled sharply, as if annoyed. Talia knew he wasn't. He was uncomfortable, at a place where he didn't feel like budging. So she leapt instead.

"I know I would miss you," she told him, planting kisses along his neck. "I'd miss seeing your face and hearing your voice. I don't think I could stand never seeing you again." 

Ivar turned to her slowly, eyes just a bit wary. She trailed her lips down his jaw until they reached his own. He hesitated for a second, then kissed her back longingly, fingers still gripping her hand.

"Get a room!" Hvitserk teased loudly from the pool, making her jump. He snickered at that, and Talia gave him the finger before chuckling as well.

Ivar was still, his thumb stroking her skin again. His eyes were trained on the marble floor, blinking slowly, as if his brother had not interrupted them."Would you really miss me?" He asked, voice just above a whisper.

Talia scoffed, rolling her eyes. "You still doubt it?" She countered, following his gaze. "Besides, I would never actually up and just leave like that. They are just random thoughts I have. I'm not as cruel as you or your brothers."

Ivar sniffed at that, pursing his lips to suppress a smile. "We did that to protect you."

"Well, I'm still salty about it," Talia stated, her own mouth forming a mock pout.

Ivar scrunched his face, looking perplexed as he met her eyes. "Salty?"

"Like...bitter about it," she explained. "Ivar, didn't you go to school in the states? You should know this."

"You can't expect me to keep up with your slang. Half of it makes no sense to me," he replied, rolling his eyes.

"It's not too hard to get," Hvitserk said next to her suddenly, dripping water all over the couch.

"Go dry off! You're getting everything wet," Ivar exclaimed, the way only siblings do when they talk to one another.

"Relax," Hvitserk replied casually, shaking out his hair. Ivar huffed and stood carefully, his braces clicking as he walked to his room. Talia met Hvitserk's eyes and after a moment they burst into laughter.

 

* * *

The last few hours seemed to pass quite slowly, but still too fast for Talia's liking. The four of them barely left the suite, ordering food and lounging on top of each other, despite the huge space. A funny sense of _déjà vu_ hung in the air.

The day they drove her back to the airport, she kept her eyes closed, willing time to stop at that very second. But they kept moving forward, the hum of the car racking her nerves. She heard Hvitserk sigh next to her. Then Ubbe tapped the steering wheel, a rhythmic percussion that made feel no less anxious. Ivar's cologne wafted from the passenger seat and she huffed softly.

Talia was silent when they finally arrived, the _Departures_ sign causing her to pull a face. As she climbed out of the back seat, she kept her eyes cast low. Ubbe grabbed her bags from the trunk, and she trailed after them slowly through parking, into the cool air of the building.

She faltered for a moment, then hugged Ivar first this time, hoping to not recreate the unpleasant goodbye of months before. Talia felt her eyes tearing up again as she was embracing him. _Don't fucking cry_ , she told herself. 

Ivar said nothing this time. Only kissed her cheek softly, stepping aside to let his brothers through. Hvitserk squeezed her; buried his face into her neck and ran his fingers along her nape, tickling the skin there. 

When it was Ubbe's turn, he didn't hug her immediately. He looked down at her, eyes clear with an earnest cast, as if he was silently telling her to pay attention. Talia stared back at him and searched his face, trying her best not to blink. She was ready for it, whatever it was that he finally was willing to say. He leaned in and hugged her, and she held onto him, the feeling so familiar. 

Her flight was announved overhead, and she started to pull away. A sour, reluctant sensation wormed its way into her stomach, almost as if she wanted to vomit. Right before he let go, Ubbe murmured to her, loud enough for her ears only.

"I love you."

Talia inhaled sharply, frozen in place. The sick feeling in her stomach was gone in an instant, replaced by a weird vibration that coursed through her limbs. Ubbe took a step back, a small satisfied smile on his face, and handed her her bag. She stood there staring back at him with wide eyes, until Hvitserk called her name. Inhaling again, she blinked and grabbed the bag from him, mind reeling. 

"Go," Ubbe instructed, nodding past her. She turned and walked toward the line of people. Talia glanced back once, when she made it through, and they were standing there still, watching her. She kept her eyes on them until she couldn't see them anymore.

Rushing toward the gate, she kept replaying what he had said in  her mind. Now she understood, all those times he kept trying to tell her but held back. Talia never doubted how he felt about her. He was always open about it. But she was still shocked, hearing out loud. Hearing it was....real. It made it real. 

She got on the plane, barely aware of her surroundings. The attendants spoke to her, the other passengers talked or snored or slept. Talia simply sat in her seat, unmoving, staring forward the entire trip. She did not utter a sound. But the words-  _I love you-_  Ubbe's sweet, deep voice whispering, sounded over and over again in her head.

Landing and getting off and finding her luggage were all a blur. She barely even remembered getting to her own doorstep. He loved her. He loved her. _He loves me_. Talia finally smiled as she entered her apartment, dropping her bag onto the floor. 

She started laughing to herself as she reached for the lamp switch but jumped when it clicked on. A small, dark haired woman with big blue eyes and beautiful pale skin stared back at her. She was impeccably dressed, her face curious as she stared back.

A bearded man was next to her, dressed just as nicely. He held a gun casually in his fingers, glancing at Talia with less interest.

"You were right, Judith. Short hair does suit her," the man said, pointing the weapom at Talia.

"Aren't I always?" Judith replied, before it went off.


End file.
